


Man Eater

by natsumii



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Adventure, Cannibalism, Disturbing Themes, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Gore, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Mystery Twins, Platonic Romance, Plot, Slow Build, Some r rated stuff, Tags May Change, Wendigo, Wendigo Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-02-21 08:39:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 109,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2461895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natsumii/pseuds/natsumii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"But but I thought you didn't eat people anymore!" Dipper yelled crawling backwards. </p><p>"You? You I'll make an exception."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discoveries and a New Ally?

“I can't believe I let a triangle trick me.” Dipper muttered as he examined the destroyed laptop. Bill did a good job in busting the thing up, and it would be a miracle if he could salvage anything. Not even Soos could repair this junk. Ugh, and to think he was so close! Finally he had something that could've revealed the author of the journals and it was ripped from his grasp. With an exasperated sigh he threw the useless machine down and fell back on his bed.

“Aw don't be like that Dipper! I'm pretty sure there's something else we could find. Maybe there's another secret tree bunker-thingy.” said Mabel reassuringly. On the other side of the attic, his sister was dressing up Waddles for a cat-walk event later on.

“I don't think so, Mabel. I read and re-read the journal a hundred times, and not even the black light showed any sign of more bunkers.” He dragged the palms of his hands down his face and rolled over to lay on his stomach. “So close.” He said into the pillow, and let out another sigh. Watching her brother mope around set a frown on the twin's face. She knew how important this was to her brother, but this was too ridiculous even for her. Tentatively she said, “Dipper, I think you should go out and hang out with people. You know, to get your mind off of...things, and hey you might even make a friend!”

The boy turned to look at her, an offended look on his face. “I have friends!”

“I mean friends your own age Dip Dip. You know, pre-pubescent boys with social awkwardness like you.”

“Wha- I don't have social awkar-!” He was cut off by the door slamming open, making both the twins jump up in fright screaming. It was Grunkle Stan, and he was heaving like he ran a marathon through the desert.

“Kids, no time to explain! Prepare code Twinkle Tums now!” The twins jumped off their beds immediately and got ready in a flash. Code Twinkle Tums, or rather hurry up and get into costume so Uncle Stan could cheapskate the tourists into believing what they are seeing are real monsters, but in actuality it was just Dipper dressed up in his wolf-boy costume and Mabel painted in the colors of the rainbow with a unicorn horn strapped to her head. By the time they finished Stan was gone, already downstairs in the shop getting ready for the tour.

“I hate wearing this outfit.” Dipper whined while adjusting the fake wolf ear headband on his head. Stan had found out what happened to his top-seller costume and made Mabel make a new one, much to her pleasure since she loved to do anything creative. Unfortunately, she didn't make the top piece (which he requested personally) and he was left wearing the furry bottoms. He was already in position, hugging his bare chest from the cold air. Not long after he heard the approaching sound of people and Uncle Stan's booming voice trying to mystify the group as he showed them mysterious objects. There was ooh's and aah's and a lot of clicking sounds of cameras taking pictures.

“And here behind this curtain is the most horrendous, vile thing to ever walk the earth,” he paused for dramatic effect. “...The Preteen Wolf Boy!” Stan exclaimed as the curtains opened to reveal Dipper, an uncomfortable look on his face as the tourists gasped and one in the back even screamed.

_Horrendous? Really? Thanks Grunkle Stan, I can just feel the love._

“If you throw money at him he'll dance.”

_And here it comes._

Dipper flinched as dollar bills and coins rained down on him and he started dancing as best as he could. Soon the tourists grew bored and Stan lead them to the next attraction, which was Unicorn Girl. As Dipper slowed down his dancing, something hit him square in the head.

“Ow! What the-” He rubbed the spot where he was hit and bent down to pick up a gold coin. He looked at it confused and flipped it over and frowned. On the other side was a design of a pyramid with an eye in the middle. It was obvious who the person, or demon, was. _Bill?_ Dipper looked up, searching for the person who threw the coin at him. The crowd of tourists were glued to Mabel singing and dancing while throwing glitter in the air, and Uncle Stan was sneakily snatching wallets from the transfixed tourists. But where...

The door to the mystery shack opened with a jingle and Dipper barely had time to see a flash of dark hair till it disappeared.

“Wait!” He called out, and leaped off the stage and made a mad dash to follow the person.

None of the other occupants of the room noticed him leave and that was fine by him. He was supposed to be gathering the money he got but this was too important. Whoever this person was, they know about Bill Cipher and they might know something about the journals. He flew out the door and frantically looked around. Another glimpse of someone going into the forest and Dipper was off, calling to the person to stop. It felt like no matter how fast he ran, the mystery person was faster. His heart was beating a mile per minute, and his breaths became ragged from exhaustion.

_Darn you noodle legs, go faster!_

But his legs were screaming at him to stop. He finally did when he broke through some bushes and entered a clearing. He bent down, hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. You'd think with all the running he had to do before because of his and Mabel's crazy adventures he'd get used to it, but he felt as winded as the time he stayed up late and began eating his shirt. He looked up to survey his surrounding, but there was no longer a trace of the mystery person.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit! Where did you go?_

“Why are you following me kid.” said a voice behind him.

Dipper, though he won't admit it till the day he died, let out an unmanly squeak and spinned around. There before him leaning casually against a tree was a girl with long messy dark hair, her arms crossed and a cool expression on her face. He pointed at her.

“You!” he proclaimed, “You threw that coin at me!”

She raised an eyebrow, “And you want an apology for that?”

“So you're not denying you threw that coin at me.” he said suspiciously.

“I guess not.” she replied shrugging her shoulders. Dipper was thrown off by the blatant reply but shook his head.

“What do you want! Where did you get this? Who are you?DoyouknowaboutBillCipher?Isheheresomewhere?GASPisthisatrap?!Iwon'tmakeanydeals!”

“Whoa whoa kid calm down. Your going to choke on your tongue.”

Dipper took the advice and stopped talking, breathing heavily from the outburst. Once it seemed the boy was going to be alright and not fall over and die, the girl spoke.

“My name's Dana. And your Dipper, Stan's nephew.” She didn't say it like a question but a statement.

“How do you know that?” Dipper asked confused and slightly freaked out.

She shrugged, “I know a lot of things.”

_Lots of things_. Dipper thought as he remembered the other person who said those words. Dana looked around suddenly as if someone was spying on them behind the trees.

“This is not a good place to talk.” she said, still eyeing the trees suspiciously. “If you want answers follow me.”

Not waiting for a reply she took off in a brisk walk and Dipper had no choice but to follow her. _At least I'm not running after her,_ he thought. Dipper's legs still burned from the sprint through the woods.

 

 

They walked for a long time through thick trees that blotted out the sun until they started to spread out which meant they were deep in the woods. Occasionally Dipper would try to ask more questions but she would rebuff him with a “not here” and “hurry up”.   

“Ow.” Dipper muttered under his breath as he slapped another mosquito bite. He suddenly regretted not putting a shirt on before he went off into the woods. That's when he realized he was still in his Wolf-Boy costume and blushed a crimson red. _Oh god!_ He was half-naked, and in front of a girl no less. Not that Mabel was not a girl, but it was different when she saw him half-naked and that usually was when he was in his swimming trunks. And Mabel was his sister, the only thing he had to fear from her was her surprise tickle attacks.

_She saw my man nipples_ , Dipper thought mortified.

Uneasily he asked, “You don't happen to have a shirt in your bag, do you?” Or mosquito repellent. Seriously, both would do fine.

“Shut up, we're here.” She came to a halt and what he saw made his eyes go wide and a “whoa” escaped his lips. Before them was a sight to behold. It was a huge clearing in the woods, and a medium sized lake like the one he and Mabel went to, to solve the mystery of Anomaly #42 took up much of the space. Rocks of many sizes littered the ground around the lake. A stream led the rushing water away, possibly to connect to a bigger body of water. But what caught his eye was the huge waterfall that glistened under the sun.

“I've never seen this place before.” Dipper said in amazement.

“Yeah and I like to keep it that way. This place is too far in for humans to get here without getting scared off by magical creatures.” she said as she led him around the lake and towards the waterfall.

“Uh, why didn't we encounter any magical creatures?” Dipper asked. The last time he checked, they were both walking meat bags, or Bill so liked to say.

“I guess we got lucky.” she replied nonchalantly.

They approached the waterfall, the sound of rushing water roaring in his ears.

“C'mon.” she motioned, and went through the waterfall. Dipper only hesitated for a second before following her in, getting drenched in the process. Once on the other side, he followed her through a path in the secret cave. The more they walked, the light from the day dimmed until it was gone and only darkness remained, leaving him blind. He squinted into the inky darkness, trying to see what was in front of him, or really anything for the matter. Slowly, he started to make out the shape of Dana. But she was getting clearer. He then realized that a soft glow was coming off the walls of the tunnel, illuminating the way. On closer inspection, the source of the light was coming from little blue gems stuck to the walls.

After a while the tunnel opened up into a wide cavern. Actual sunlight streamed down from a hole in the ceiling and Dipper could see random assortments of furniture strewn about the cave. Under the opening in the ceiling was a roughed up looking mattress with a green blanket strewn over it, as if someone didn't have the will to care enough to make the bed. On one side was a red couch, seams loosened so the inside stuffing popped out. There was a small round wooden table in front of the couch and...

“Is that a TV?” Dipper asked bewildered at the sight of a flat screen in the middle of a cave with no plug in, in sight.

“Mmh? Oh yeah that. I won a bet with Cipher.” she said.

“What was the bet?”

“Who could lick their elbow first.”

“And you won?” Dipper asked impressed.

“Nah, Cipher 'technically' won but he 'technically' doesn't have elbows.” she said, doing the two finger gesture, “Or a body.”

“You can sit there.” she pointed to the mattress. As Dipper made himself comfortable, he followed her form as she walked to a fridge (that works surprisingly) and pulled out two classic looking sodas. She walked back and sat down opposite of him, her bag in between them.

“Here,” she said, handing the drink to him. They drank in silence, Dipper grateful for the refreshing liquid that relieved his parched throat. Once he had his full, he got down to business. “How do you know about the Dream Demon?” he asked, more like demanded. Despite her hospitality, he was still unsure if she was friend or potential foe.

_Probably should of thought about that before I followed someone inside a cave where no one can hear me scream_ , Dipper thought in retrospect. Eh, he never did think things through.

“No wait who are you first?”

She also set her bottle down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I told you, my name's Dana. I brought you here because this is the only place in Gravity Falls that Cipher can't listen in on us. And believe me, he is always watching.” she said the last part mimicking the voice of the golden triangle.

“That's creepily good.” Dipper commented.

“Thanks I had a lot of practice.” and he was sure he noted a tone of pride in her voice.

“How do you know this place is even safe?” he glanced around, expecting to see the demon in the dark corners of the caves. “He could be watching us right now.”

“No, he isn't. I made a deal with him a long time ago. This place is demon free.” That reassured him a bit, but he was still paranoid. He has been ever since he arrived in this old town.

_Darn gnomes._

“You didn't answer my question, how do you know about Bill?”

“Like anyone else who met a demon. I wanted something, and he provided. Of course with a deal. Selfish little shi-”

“What deal?” he cut her off.

She looked at him annoyed, “The none of your business deal.”

He frowned, “Okay you won't tell me that, can you tell me anything else? Do you know anything about some journals? Red, has a six fingered hand on the cover. The author? Do you know who wrote them?” He fired. He knew he probably shouldn't be mentioning the journals – TRUST NO ONE – but he couldn't help himself. If someone knew about Bill, then they must know about the journals and their owner.

“I... know about the journals. And I know who the author is.” she said slowly. Dipper's eyes widened in excitement. This was it! This was finally it! Long nights staying up till the early morning, skimming pages over and over again until he passed out from exhaustion was not all for nothing. Man he was so gonna rub it in Mabel's face. 

“But I can't tell you.”

...

_What._

It took a while for him to process what she just said, but when he did he jumped to his feet. “But but but but but why not!” Dipper yelled confused.

She let out an exasperated sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. “Because I made a dumb deal. And before you ask I'm not going to tell you what it was. All you need to know is that I can't reveal anything about this town's secrets, including the person who wrote those journals.”

Dipper groaned and hid his face behind his hands and sank back down onto the mattress. No of course it couldn't be that easy. When was it ever easy for him. He should've known. He could've stopped himself from getting so excited and hopeful. Man it felt like someone kicked a puppy, and he was said puppy.

“But I can help you.”

He looked up, a questioning look on his face. “One flaw in the deal we made was that I can't say anything about the secrets. Doesn't mean I can't _do_ something to help you find out those secrets... Heh, I almost feel like a demon.”

“That's great!” He jumped up again excited, but stopped and squinted at her. “But how do I know I can trust you.”

“Are you always this paranoid? I don't know how to prove it to you, so the only thing I can give you is my word. I swear. On my Xbox's life. Red ring of death and all.” She made a circle motion with her finger.

“Wait, you have an Xbox?”

“Yeah over there.” She pointed towards the TV stand, and how he didn't notice it before was a mystery but there it was, black and beautiful. For a moment he forgot all about Gravity Falls secrets, and he ran at the thing, hugging it and even kissing it. Aw man, how long has it been since he saw one of these babies. Ever since he was sent here for the summer, he had forgotten all about the modern world. Not even the tv shows at the Mystery Shack had anything up to date. Not even the news. And forget about computers, Uncle Stan was too cheap to buy anything that expensive.

“Back of the box kid.” Dana promptly peeled Dipper off of the console and placed it back on the shelf gently.

“Where? How?”

“Why are you even asking, you know how. And from whom.” she replied, checking to see if any scratches were made on the console. He stared at it longingly, and at the row of games stacked in a neat line.

“You sure make a lot of deals with Bill.” he said thoughtfully.

“It's a bad habit of mine.” She straightened up once she made sure the console was fine and walked back to the mattress and zipped open the bag. Dipper followed and sat down next to her, curious.

“Do you recognize this?” she asked as she pulled out a piece of worn paper and placed it in front of him. On the yellow wrinkled paper was a penciled drawing of an upside down triangle and a circle in the middle. Four lines extended out from the triangle and each connected to more circles. Dipper stared hard at the drawing, trying to think back to where he might've seen this before but he came up blank.

“Am I supposed to?” he said weakly. She clicked her tongue. “Here maybe this will help.” She then took out a hunting knife from the bag and sliced the paper into three parts. Dipper tensed when he caught sight of the knife but relaxed when she wasn't going to use it on him.

“Now take a look.” He stared again at the now three pieces of drawings but nothing came up.

“I don't know what you're...” he trailed off as he noticed something oddly familiar. And then it struck him. He had seen this drawing before, or parts of it. He should remember since he's memorized the pages to heart.

“But they're in different journals.” he breathed.

“Exactly. Do you know what this drawing represents?” Dipper shook his head, still in wonder of the new discovery he made. “It kinda looks like a device or a-a-a”

“A gateway?” she finished for him.

Dipper nodded. “Is it?” She looked at him blankly, “I can't say.” But she nodded instead.

“So, so this thing this device is sorta like a portal to another dimension?”

She nodded again.

“That, that's amazing!” He said astonished. Who knew. _Who knew_. “How are we gonna build this thing? Do we need all the journals for this?” Dipper asked excited. This could be one of the most important mysteries this town has. _He just found out the biggest mystery_.

“No, we are _not_ going to build it under any circumstances. You are _not_ going to go find the rest of the journals. This is not the reason I showed you this for.” Dana said sternly.

Dipper opened and closed his mouth. “But why? What's so bad about building the portal?”

“I can't tell you.” she said frustrated, “But you have to believe me when I say building the gateway is a bad idea. It'll lead to nothing but destruction.” She paused, lost in thought. “I should take you back. You're sister is probably wondering where you are.”

Dipper bit his lip and waved his arms. “But there's so much I want to know. I have so many questions!”

“And I don't think I can answer 90% of what you're going to ask anyways.” she said getting up. He didn't want to admit it, but she was definitely right. Dipper followed and they walked back to the tunnel next to the TV. He glanced at it.

“Can I at least play your Xbox?” he asked sheepishly. The look she gave him answered his question.

They made their way out of the cave, passing the glowing jems and through the waterfall (I hope I don't catch a cold from this) and started the long way back to the Mystery Shack.

 

 

Unlike the first time they ventured through the woods, they encountered a mythical creature, a Gremloblin to be exact, which promptly started chasing them. After leaping over rocks and swerving through trees, and much cursing from his new partner, they finally left the beast behind... only to then get stalked by the Hide Behind, much to Dipper's annoyance, reminding him of his failed Anomaly #132.

“Man I hate that guy.” Dana muttered beside him. Dipper turned to look back but she grabbed his shoulder and forced him to keep walking. “Don't look back, it'll only encourage him more.” Sure enough the persistent rattling noise faded away until only the sound of their feet crunching on leaves and twigs were left. The sun was starting its slow descent back towards earth when they reached the outskirts to the Mystery Shack. They came to a stop next to the Bottomless Pitt, a new sign was staked next to the broken one when Stan broke it and fell into the hole.

“I fell in that once.” she commented, peering over the edge.

“Yeah hah, not fun.” Dipper agreed, scratching the back of his head. “So are you going to come in or..?” he trailed off, unsure if inviting a girl home was a good idea. Mabel would go crazy. He shuddered at the thought.

She looked at the shack, the S in Shack was still on the ground having been fallen off the sign from decay.

“Not today kid. Maybe some other time.” she said crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Oh well, okay um. Bye then.” Dipper said awkwardly. He turned and made his way up to the shack but turned around. “Hey uh, when will I see you again?”

“Don't worry. I'll be around.” she replied.

He nodded and continued his trek to the shack. She watched him go up the stairs, look back at her, and disappear through the door. She stayed for a bit, staring at the old shack with a strange sense of nostalgia. She didn't notice the colors around her fading or the bright light that shined behind her.

“Pine Tree suuuuuure is awkward huh toots!”

 

 

When Dipper entered the shack, the lights were off and he was greeted to a disco ball tapped to the top of the ceiling and loud energetic music. The furnitures in the living room were rearranged to face a make-shift runway and strutting down the cat-walk was Waddles wearing a dress in high heels. Mabel, Candy, and Grenda were cheering the pig on, throwing glitter and shiny confetti. Soos was recording the whole thing, and Grunkle Stan was asleep snoring in the back.

“I'm not even going to ask.” Dipper said to himself since no one could hear him over the loud music. He started for the stairs but Wendy appeared coming out of the kitchen, a bowl of popcorn in her hands.

“Wendy!” Dipper exclaimed at seeing the red haired teen.

“Hey Dipper, are you gonna watch the fashion show? I think Mabel is going on next.”

He felt like he had been running through the woods (oh wait he had), and his muscles ached but Dipper just smiled. “Yes, of course! Hahaha..” Dang it, he hated how his response to nervousness resulted in him laughing like an idiot. They sat down on the couch and Dipper grabbed a bunch of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. It was a good thing the lights were off or Wendy would've seen how red he turned. Even though Wendy told him (gently) that she just wanted to be friends, Dipper still had that unforgiving crush on her.

_Stupid emotions_.

Waddles was strutting a way pig could strut down the runway a second time, this time wearing Stan's Fez and a small black suit with a cane attached to the outfit.

“Is that supposed to be Grunkle Stan?” Dipper whispered to Wendy.

She laughed, “I guess so. They forgot the glasses though.”

Candy was going crazy, squealing and taking pictures with her phone. “This is going to become internet famous!” she said in her weird fascinated way, her eyes shining. “Yeah work it!” Grenda joined in, dancing to the beat of the song. The show continued, and Mabel must've went on sometime later, but Dipper wouldn't know. Before the sun dipped down to let the moon come up, the boy was sound asleep, hand left in the popcorn bowl. Later on he would wake up to Gompers chewing his pants. Then he would realize for the second time that he was _still_ in his Wolf-Boy costume.

And Wendy had seen him.

_Pedicabo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope u guys liked it. im trying to get the story going so far so yeup
> 
> and if you wanna check out mabel being awesome http://natsumiirex.deviantart.com/art/mabel-487849631
> 
> thank for reading :))


	2. Flying Doritos

“Oh look, a flying dorito.”

Said dorito gasped and placed a black hand to where his non-existent heart was as if he'd been wounded.

“Ya kill me kid, really. Look at what you did!” Bill said. With a wave of his hand, a huge beating heart appeared from thin air, many pieces of glass shards stuck out of the organ as blood oozed from the cuts. It disappeared as soon as it appeared, much to Dana's relief.

“That better not be someone's heart.” Knowing Bill, it probably was.

The Dream Demon only hummed and looked away with a pleased look. “Maybeee. Aw who cares? It's not like he needs that thing anymore!” He flew down and rested his arm on her shoulder. “Humans, always so trivial over little things.”

She shrugged him off and stepped back to put distance between them. “What do you want Cipher?”

The golden pyramid rolled his one huge eye. “Why do people always think I want something from them. I don't take, I deal. It's not my fault they don't read the fine print.”

The Bottomless Pitt suddenly looked very appealing but she was sure Bill would jump in? Float down with her just to spite her.

“No, I'm just curious about what you and Pine Tree are up to these days.” Bill said twirling his cane, “I hope it has nothing to do with revealing any secrets and gateways to another dimension! What do kids even do these days?” Bill said the last part to himself.

Shit he knows. But how? She was so sure not to say anything before they reached the cave, which was an anti-demon zone. As if reading her thoughts, (the bastard probably was), his eyes scrunched up as if he was smiling.

“Thought you were so safe huh? Well you forgot one detail...” He held out his hand, and a blue flame sparked to life, a familiar golden coin floating in the fire.

Her eyes widened and she cursed.

“I have a little flaw in our deal too.” Bill said smugly and the coin with the flames flickered out of existence.

“Okay so you know. So what. You can't stop me, or the twins. We're going to stop this whole thing from happening, and your going to go back into the Mindscape where you belong.”

Instead of feeling intimidated Bill laughed, “Such brave words coming from you toots. I think you should know better now **not to threaten me**.” At the last part, his voice changed into a more demonic tone and his eye grew huge and red, but he reverted to his natural state in a blink of an eye. (pun alert!)

“I like having the kids around. And did it feel great to be in a body again. Man that was a kicker!” He snickered at the memory. “But I can't let you go ruining the fun so soon. So either stop your little come-back or it's goodbye to Gravity Falls!”

“What! But you can't do that, we made a deal!”

“Aaaand deals could be broken toots. Didn't you read the fine print?” Bill said, wagging his finger.

“THERE IS NO FINE PRINT! IT'S A FUCKING HANDSHAKE!” she screamed, losing her patience with the demon's unfairness.

“Haha! Someone needs to control their temper before they explode. I would sure like to see that!”

The dark haired girl face palmed, “Who even let you out anyways.”

“That's for me to know and you to find out!” Bill replied cheerfully. A huge clock appeared next to Bill, the time reading 14:12 in egyptian hieroglyphics if that was even possible.

“Well it was nice talking to ya toots but I gotta run,” Bill said floating up. “Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe-”

“-is a hologram, buy gold byeeeee!” Dana joined in, already used to hearing the phrase a million times.

Bill was gone in a flash of bright light, and she woke up.

 

 

Dipper walked into the kitchen yawning and took a seat next to Mabel at the table. She was already digging into her glitter cereal, and Dipper made a note to remind himself to take Mabel to the hospital later.

As he grabbed a bowl and filled it with _GRAVITY O'S!, “if its not falling down your throat then you got choked!”_ Mabel asked innocently, “So where have you been all day yesterday?”

Dipper stopped chewing and swallowed roughly, making him flinch in pain. “Ah-” He coughed violently, thumping his fist against his chest. “Nowhere! Nowhere. Why ha would you even think that?”

“Because you've been gone the whole day.” Mabel said, looking at Dipper with an _i'm not an idiot_ face.

“Uhhhhh can you pass me the milk?” Dipper said, trying and failing to change the subject.

She banged her fists on the table, making the milk carton fall, its milky content spilling all over the floor.

“Dipper!”

“Ahh! Why do you even want to know!?”

“Because your acting weirder than usual and I want to know why!” She paused, and a hurt look grew on her face. “I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other. Mystery Twins remember?”

“No, no uh yeah of course...” Dipper mumbled, “Okay, okay but you have to swear not to tell anyone. Not even Waddles. No one.”

Mabel's eyes lit up and scooted her chair closer to his, her full attention on him. _This is not a good idea_ , Dipper thought. But how could he keep something as big as this a secret from his sister. _But Bill could be watching right now_. He just had to hope the demon wasn't. Bill's too busy to spend all his time watching them. Right?

Dipper looked around the room, just to make sure.

And then he started.

“You remember yesterday when Grunkle Stan made us perform for the tourists?”

“Yeah, of course, I totally rocked. They loved me.” Mabel interrupted, a wide grin on her face.

Dipper frowned at her and continued, “Well anyways, someone threw a coin at me and when I picked it up, it had Bill on it.”

DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNN!!! Dramatic music blasted making Dipper jump in surprise. “Mabel put that away!” He said smacking a recorder out of her hand.

“Hehe, sorry.” she said not looking sorry at all.

He gave her a look and continued again, “So I followed the person who threw the coin into the forest and when I caught up to her, she-”

“It's a girl?” Mabel exclaimed. “Did you get her phone number?”

“What? No!” Dipper yelled blushing. “She told me her name was Dana and lead me to her hidden waterfall cave and showed me a drawing of what looks to be a gateway to another dimension. The drawing actually came from different pieces from the journals and Mabel, Mabel are you even listening?”

Said girl was not, and had a silly smile on her face. She poked his shoulder, “Seems like you went on a date.”

“Wha- No Mabel it wasn't a date. She was telling me about-”

“How much she looooooved you. Haha, c'mon Dipper, _she lead me to her hidden waterfall cave_ , that's totally a date.”

Dipper sputtered, turning red from anger or embarrasment, or both. “I-it wasn't a date!”

But Mabel ignored him and stood up on her chair. “I've never thought the day would come (really, I didn't), but it has and as your sister I salute you!” Mabel saluted him, and Waddles jumped up on her chair now that there was space and began eating her cereal.

“Yeaaah saluting.” Soos said, arriving into the kitchen and standing on a chair too. “By the way what are we saluting for?”

“Dipper went on his first-aaaahh!” Mabel screamed as Dipper knocked her down having jumped on her. They squirmed on the floor, Dipper managing to cover her mouth with his hand, resisting to pull away at the feel of a tongue licking his palm.

“Haha, she meant first uh first..time eating _Gravity O's!_ Man are they sure good.” Dipper laughed nervously.

“mphgimgd mdmphinmg!” Mabel said and crossed her arms.

“Huh, yeah I've never tasted this one before. I usually get _Lucky Falls_. I only eat the marshmellow ones though.” Soos said, picking up the box and looking at the cover.

“Huh? What's going on in here, Soos, why are you in my kitchen?” Stan said grumpily, finally up and ready to get the day started.

“Oh hi Mister Pines. I forgot I left my tacos here and I need them. They help me go to the bathroom.”

Stan kept his neutral face. “I'm going to decide I didn't here that. And you-” he pointed to Dipper who was still ontop of his sister. “Clean this mess up.”

Dipper groaned and rolled of his twin sister. He got to work, moping up the spilt milk and throwing away the carton while Mabel continued her cereal and Stan ate it dry, the milk being gone and such.

 

 

It was later on in the day that Dipper decided to go back to the spot he left her next to the Bottomless Pitt. He wasn't sure if she'll be there, since the only thing she said was that she would 'be around'. Not to his surprise, she wasn't there and he sat down to wait. He reached into his jacket and slipped out Journal 3, flipping open the book to land on a random page. He mindlessly started reading, already gone through this page four times before.

_The Thanksgiving Turkeys_

_Said to appear only on Thanksgiving Day and will attack on sight. Oddly enough, if you're dressed as an indian, they will only poop on you and not cause you bodily harm._

“That's a joke he wrote in. He watched a cartoon show about it.”

Dipper nearly had a heart attack and shut the journal. “Is that your way of greeting people? Just appearing out of the bloom and scaring them half to death.”

“Most of the times.” she replied, sitting down next to him. “I gotta tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“Bill knows.” she said deadly serious.

“Uhhhhh are you sure?” Dipper asked, scratching the back of his head nervously as the memory of his talk with Mabel resurfaced.

“Yes. He listened in on us through the gold coin I threw at you. I forgot to throw it away afterwards and he used it to get into the cave.”

Dipper let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Is that a good thing to you?” Dana asked, bristling at his reaction, her voice having a tint of anger in it.

Dipper's eyes widened and shook his head. “No! No of course not, it's just that I might've told Mabel what you told me?” Dipper squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the onslaught of anger he will receive.

“So she knows now. I suppose that's a good thing.” Dana said contemplatively, “You didn't tell your uncle did you?”

He relaxed at her calm state. “No, just Mabel. Why?”

She suddenly looked stressed, as if she wanted to tell him something but couldn't. “Your uncle... he is, was, affiliated with a... secret organization. It wouldn't be good if your uncle knew about the machine. He doesn't know about Journal 3 right?”

“No, I showed him it after we got our contract of the shack back from Gideon. But he gave it back to me after having a good laugh reading it. And no one knows where Journal 1 is.”

She looked relieved. “Good, the last thing we need is him building the portal... and who is Gideon?”

“You don't know who Lil' Gideon is? He's practically the only famous person in Gravity Falls, and that doesn't mean much.” Dipper added, not wanting to praise the blonde boy for anything.

“Eh I don't go into town alot. So he stole the deed to your shack, why?” she asked. Who would want _that_ rusty old shack. Its ancient.

Dipper shrugged, “He wanted the journals and I guess he didn't have Journal 1 or 2 because he came after us with a giant Gideon robot.”

She scrunched up her face in confusion. “A what?”

“You know, robots?” he stiffened his limbs and started moving like a robot, making beeping noises to show her and continued, “Except it was a replica of him and come to think of it why did he even have a giant robot he could control. What was that even for?” he said the last part to himself.

“How'd you guys defeat him? If he had a boop boop beep!” she copied his movements and Dipper couldn't help but crack a grin.

“I fought him one to one.” he said proudly, “and because of all the movement Gideon was doing his robot did the same thing, and we were on an old train track with a drop beneath us. We fell of, but Mabel saved me with her grappling hook and the robot exploded. Gideon survived but got arrested.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait. Do you mean the huge blue mini nuclear explosion between the two mountains? That was you guys? What the hell! You scared the shit out of me.”

“You were there? What were you doing in the forest?” Dipper asked surprised.

“Well no I was just uh I live in the woods remember?” she said quickly.

Dipper looked at her, a brow raised but dismissed her weird action. He looked down, rolling a small rock in between his thumb and index finger. “I've been meaning to ask you, why do you even live out there. Was it another deal with Bill?”

She was silent for a moment and then said, “I don't like living near people. I prefer isolation.”

“But what about your parents? Aren't they looking for you?” Dipper asked confused.

Her face suddenly grew dark and the air around them changed. “I don't think they're looking for me Dipper. They're dead.”

“Oh... i'm sorry...” He wanted to ask how'd they died but he didn't want to offend her. She told him anyways.

“They got eaten by wolves.” She whispered.

She had a faraway look, as if she was seeing something he couldn't. They were both quiet, Dipper thinking about his parents in California and how it would feel if he lost them. And then he felt ashamed because he and Mabel had been doing life risky situations everyday and they could've died anytime. How would their parents react if they lost them.

He shook the depressing thought away and glanced at her. She looked lost, and Dipper wondered how alone she really was. To live in a cave with only a demon for company. Dipper couldn't imagine being alone. He always had Mabel by his side, and if she wasn't there, then either Soos or Wendy accompanied him.

“Ahhh do you want to come with me to the shack? We can look at the journal and Mabel is dying to meet you.” Dipper asked, wanting to change the morbid topic.

She pursed her lips, “Sure.” she replied with a shrug and they both got up dusting off their pants.

As they made their way up to the shack Dipper suddenly thought about what Mabel said about him getting friends his age (she looked like his age). He turned to her and asked, “You're not a pre-pubescent boy with social awkwardness are you?”

She looked at him oddly and smiled. “Maybe.”

Dipper laughed as they entered through the door into the kitchen. “That's a joke, right?” he said though.

She didn't have time to reply since they walked into the living room where Stan was watching Baby Fights. He glanced at Dipper, then to the girl next to him and back to the show.

“Who paid you.” Stan said, not even looking up from the show.

“What?” she asked confused.

“Who paid you to hang out with the dork.”

“No one paid her! She's my friend.” Dipper cut in as he pulled her away from his uncle and up the stairs to the attic. “Sorry about him, he's old.” Dipper said as an excuse for his uncle's rash behavior.

“Right.” she said, looking around. “Is that a huge chess piece.”

“Oh yeah that's still there.” Dipper forgot about that.

They entered the attic and Dipper came to a sudden halt, Dana smashing into his back.

“And that concludes Mabel's Guide to Nail Polish!” The brown haired girl raised her arms to show off her messy looking nails, glitter and rainbows glued on each finger.

“Aaand cut.” Candy said as she stopped the recording. Mabel wiped her forehead and Grenda handed her water and started fanning her.

“That was a good one girls, good job on – Dipper!” Mabel exclaimed, spotting her twin brother by the doorway who was backing up furiously.

She ran over to him and pulled him into the room, “We were just about to go find you. I need you for my next Mabel's Guide to life segment on Mabel's Dating Game Show!” She said, slinging an arm over his shoulder and waving her other arm in the air.

“Can't you get someone else to do it, I'm kinda busy here.” Dipper said, trying but failing to get out her grasp.

“I can't. Soos is already seeing Melody and Grunkle Stan is... I need you Dipper.” she paused and smiled, “Wendy is going to be one of the contestants.”

“I said no – wait she is?”

“Yeah. Who is that?” Mabel looked around Dipper, finally noticing the other girl leaning against the doorway arms crossed.

“I'm Dana, you must've heard about me from your brother.” she said walking to them. She stopped when Mabel squealed in delight and jumped her. She grabbed her face and turned it side to side.

“You are a girl! I thought Dipper mistook you for a boy because other than Wendy, Dipper can't talk to girls his age. He gets sweaty.” She said the last part in a whisper, but everyone heard it and Dipper deadpanned.

“That's great Braces, please stop touching me.”

“Oooh she's fiesty.” Mabel giggled punching Dipper's shoulder. She perked up and turned to Dana, “Hey! Do you wanna be in my game show? I'll give you ten dollars.”

“No Mabel I don't think Dana want's to do you're stupid game show.”

“Deal. Give me the money. I only get paid in advance.” Mabel went to her drawer and grabbed a ten and gave it to her. Dana stuffed it into her pocket and Dipper gave her a look. “What? It's free money.”

“Alright people! Grenda prepare the stadium. Candy, get the camera's in place. We need two on each side so we can get both clear shots of the contestants. Dipper!” she pointed to his clothes, “Change your clothes, you wear the same thing everyday.”

Dipper blushed and muttered something about not having time to wash clothes but went off to his side to search for a new pair of clothes.

“You!” she pointed to Dana and laughed. “Hahaha sorry I just still can't believe Dipper has a girl friend.”

“She's not my girlfriend!” Dipper yelled from his side.

Mabel waved, “Right right friend girl, girl friend whatever. Wendy is supposed to be here after her shift, can you go down and wait for her in the living room? She has red hair, always wear flannel, you can't miss her.”

Dana gave a nod and turned around to head back downstairs. “Wait but what about the journal? I thought we were going to look through it.” Dipper asked holding up Journal 3.

“I got paid kid. We'll look through it later.” And with that she left to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> south park reference! 
> 
> hoped u guys like it so far. im trying to keep all the characters in character? did that make sense? eh. next chapter is Mabel's Dating Game Show! 
> 
> peace


	3. Mabel's Dating Game Show

Dana left to the sound of bickering twins and made her way down the stairs, this time observing everything around her. It had been a long time since she stepped foot in this shack, and even though there was a gift shop and a fake museum, it still looked the same. She looked at the pictures hanging on the walls, some of random landscape images, and other more personal, showing the whole Pines family doing stuff. There was one picture, recent it looked, where Dipper, Mabel, and Stan were at the lake on a boat. Mabel held up a huge catfish by the hook, while Dipper on the other hand looked less enthusiastic, the boy holding up a tiny trout.

Instead of going to the living room immediately, she wandered down the hallway and stopped before a dusty old door. She stared at the door, many memories coming back to her. She touched the hard wood. Did she dare? It felt wrong, like she didn't belong there anymore. But she wanted to see it, just one more time. Gently, she pushed open the door, it's hinges rusty and squeaked at the friction. Her heart started to speed up as she stepped inside and got a good look at the room.

It was like the room was frozen in time. Everything looked the same as it did the last time she was in here. She felt like she was stepping into the past. The only thing that broke the illusion was the missing blue carpet on the floor. She stopped in the middle of the room, just taking everything in. She felt nostalgic. She approached the wooden desk and ran her fingers over the dust that settled over years of unuse. God she felt like shit.

30 years has past and he never once had he left her mind. That day they last saw eachother haunted her for many nights and she would stay awake, regretting and regretting until all she wanted to do was hurt something. Kill something. Anything to release her anger. On those nights, Bill would be in her nightmares, forcing her to watch all the horrible things she had done in her past. He would start with her mother, god her own mother, make her relive that night over and over. Make her even _enjoy_ it.

He made her remember the taste, all that blood. And the smell. The smell she could never forget. It's a distinct smell, like nothing she's ever smelled before. And she could see her brother's face, the cold love in his eyes.

_We have to eat_ , he told her. They were _starving_. The wolves were howling outside.

Bill would then move on, showing her in order all the faces of her victims, twisted in horror as they met a gory end. The memory was blurry, and as selfish as it might be, she was glad for that. She tells herself it wasn't her that was doing the deed. It wasn't her fault. She couldn't control herself.

And then for the finale, Bill made her watch the event that ended a friendship she tried so hard to gain. God why didn't he listen to her? Why didn't she say no and be done with it. Why did she had to cross the border. Why couldn't she control herself, just for once. Just for him.

And now he was gone, and here she was, standing alone in a room that used to bring her much happiness but now gave her an empty feeling in her chest.

Her eyes burned but she forced them shut. She felt all the anger and sadness wash over her and for a moment, she could see his face.

She opened her eyes and left the room. It was an ugly reminder that she didn't want to face. Not again. Not ever.

She walked back down the hall to the living room and sat her self down on the steps that connected the kitchen to the living room. Stan didn't even aknowledge her presence, just continued munching on chips and flipping through the channels.

She grew fustrated at the sight of him. She left the room to get away from the memories of _him_ , and here Stan was, the spitting image of his brother. She didn't know she was glaring holes into the side of Stan's head until he spoke up.

“Your staring is creeping me out. Stop it.” he grumbled through bites.

“Your just so... old.”

“Yeah and your belly is showing. Didn't your parents teach you how to dress.” Stan retorted.

She chose not to answer that and ignored him to favor the show playing on tv but glanced down at her long sleeve shirt. It was a bit small for her but she liked it that way. And plus it's the only clothing article she owned, with worn out jeans and dirty converse. She didn't have time to see if it was the right size for her, and the girl didn't even notice it was gone. Okay maybe she did but it was a necessary sacrifice on her part.

She didn't have to wait long for the red haired girl to arrive.

“Wendy, what are you still doing here. I thought you had teenage stuff to do, like I don't know set something on fire and post it on the internet.” Stan said to the teen.

“Yeah I don't think that's a good idea since we live next to the woods Mr. Pines. And Mabel's doing her guide thing to life or something.” Wendy said, waving her hand. “She needed me for some game show and why not you know?”

“Eh, just don't do anything crazy like the last time.” Stan warned. “I don't want to clean up anymore more exploding monsters again.”

“But you made Dipper clean that up.”

“Exactly.” Stan said, making a point.

Wendy only rolled her eyes and spotted the new girl sitting down on the steps. She approached her with a friendly demeanor. “Hey I'm Wendy. Are you a friend of Mabel's?” she asked taking a seat next to the girl.

“No, I'm actually Dipper's... friend.” she said. It was weird saying she had a friend. A friend meant someone you enjoy being around and knowing they would always have your back. Was Dipper her friend? Could she rely on him?

_Can he trust her?_

“Oh!” Wendy was surprised but didn't make it a big deal. “How'd you guys meet?”

“In the woods. We just sorta ran into each other.” Dana lied easily, leaving her response vague on purpose.

“Why were you out in the woods?” Wendy laughed.

“I was taking a shit, red head. Anything else you need to know.” she snapped.

Wendy raised her arms, “Whoa easy, I was just curious.” The teen bit her lip, “Dipper doesn't have many friends his own age. Well, not one's that he meets from Mabel. It's just nice seeing him making a friend.”

Dana went quiet at her words. She didn't know she was Dipper's only friend.

_Isn't he your only friend, too?_

“I'm only here because his sister paid me to be in her dating game show.” she said, looking away.

“Did someone mention getting paid for a girl's fake game show because she has nothing better to do?” Stan said, only hearing the words “paid me”. “I want in if Mabel's paying.”

“Mr. Pines it's a dating show. For Dipper.” Wendy informed the old man.

“Euwgh aw gross nevermind.” Stan said smacking his lips as if their was a bad taste in his mouth. “I think I threw up a little in my mouth.”

“Wendy your here!” Mabel exclaimed upon seeing the teen. Mabel was dressed in a black sparkly suit, with shoulder pads stuffed in to make her appear more manly. “Okay I need you two go to the gift shop and sit next to Pacifica. Candy and Grenda has everything ready to go and Dipper is waiting for me to call him in. Move people move!”

Wendy and Dana hustled out of the living room and to the gift shop. Sure enough, a platinum blonde girl sat on one of the three chairs, applying mascara on, using her iphone as a mirror. Objects were pushed to the corners of the store to make room for a stadium. On the stadium, there was huge thin board used as the background and one thin board that was placed in the middle, making it impossible for Dipper to see the three girls on the other side.

Wendy and Dana went and took their seats so the order they were in from right to left was Wendy, Pacifica, and lastly Dana. Dana noted that there were two camera placed on each side and she waved at.

“Wendy Corduroy, I didn't know this is what you do on your free time. Hanging out with a bunch of 12 year olds, isn't that sad?” Pacifica sniffed, now just checking to make sure her already perfect hair was perfect.

“Oh yeah Pacifica right? I don't know if your phone isn't working but you're a twelve year old yourself.”

“Whatever.” she said, turning her nose in the air and crossing her arms.

“Alright you guys, everyone ready?” Mabel asked, as she returned with Candy and Grenda in tow.

“Yeah”, “Sure”, and Dana just nodded. Mabel smiled, and handed each of them a glowing mushroom.

“Eat this.”

“Ew what is this, some kind of mushroom? I don't do drugs, it's bad for my complexion.” Pacifica said, holding the glowing mushroom away from her, while Wendy on the other hand shoved it into her mouth.

“It's not drugs Pacifica, it's a magical mushroom that-”

“That changes your voice. How'd you get this, I thought it grew at the bottom of the lake.” Dana finished, examining the shroom.

“Oh I have my ways..” Mabel said sweetly drumming her fingers together.

Two days ago...

“Now remember Soos, once your down there look for glowing things. The book says there's millions down there so you can't miss it.”

They were at the place were she and Dipper set Mermando free. The man child was currently standing at the edge of the lack dock, chains wrapped around one of his leg connected to an anvil.

“I don't know about this dude, what if the Gobblewonker is down there.” Soos said nervously looking down at the murky water.

“Soos, that was fake remember? I'm sure you'll be fine.” Mabel said reassuringly and stuffed Journal 3 into her purse. “Take a deep breath okay!” She grunted and shoved the anvil over, the heavy steel sinking immediately. Soos barely had time to suck in a breath before he was pulled into the water.

“Huh, I forgot to loosen the chains for Soos to get out.” She paused but shrugged nonchalantly.

Back to the present...

“Now eat!” Mabel ordered. Pacifica wrinkled her nose and ate the shroom, gagging as it went down her throat. Dana chewed on her's, the familiar taste of blue gushers exploding in her mouth.

“I don't feel any different.” Wendy said and gasped. “Whoa! Haha, what up dawg.” The teens voice had changed from her cool chill one to a deep black man's voice.

“Ew, don't tell me we all get OMG!” Pacifica slapped her hand on her mouth, the sound of an old lady saying omg making Mabel giggle. “Augh! I sound like old Lazy Susan!”

Wendy laughed at the girl's predicament and Dana joined in but stopped and a horrified look came on her face. “What the fuck!?”

They all broke out laughing, and in between breaths Wendy managed to say, “Alvin don't curse! There's children around!”

“Shut it red head.” a high pitched voice said and Dana suddenly regret eating the mushroom.

Mabel chuckled and wiped a tear out of her eye. “Okay girls, we're getting ready in 5 so don't say anything until I tell you so.” She left and Dana leaned further back on her chair, just wanting to get this over and done with.

 

 

 

Dipper looked at his reflection, and smoothed back his slick hair again. He was wearing a replica outfit of Stan's suit, but smaller so it could fit his skinny size. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He remembered participating in Mabel's Guide to Dating, and he was labeled questionable. Yeah so maybe he doesn't have a lot of experience with girls but come on, he couldn't be that bad.

_Your first kiss was with a merman_. _And he wasn't even human._

He shuddered at the memory. Mermando and Mabel were still in contact from time to time, well only when they would go to the pool and see more bottles for her. But Mabel was still young, and she continued her boy crush of the week, the latest one being Gabe. He turned out to be a total weirdo though.

Dipper leaned back and thought about Bill. The time the demon was residing in his body left him fork marks and purplish bruises, more on his arm when he kept slamming the drawer down on it repeatedly. But nothing was broken and Mabel was right about feeling better after a good nights rest. He was expecting Bill to enter his dreams that night and torment the boy more, so it was a pleasant surprise when his head hit the pillow he fell into a dreamless sleep.

So far the demon hasn't made an appearance, despite his warning they haven't seen the last of him at the sock opera before Mabel blew him sky high. Bill must be planning something. Or maybe he was keeping quiet just to make Dipper paranoid. Like he was right now. The iscoceles triangle must be getting a good laugh right now.

Bill must know about the machine. But Dipper wasn't sure if that was true. Not once did Bill try to steal the journals before, aside from the recent events. But he was talking about a plan of his. He had mentioned this twice now, and Dipper was no closer than he had been to finding out anything the demon was planning. It was nothing good, that's something he could cross of his list.

His mind then wandered to a certain dark haired girl. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but she appeared out of the bloom. She seemed to be on his side, or atleast she had a similar dislike on the golden demon. But what did she say about his uncle? He was a part of this secret organization, and Dipper felt betrayed. He didn't expect Stan to tell him everything, but the proffesional conman seemed to know a hell of a lot more than Dipper knew. If Stan knew what was going around Gravity Falls, then Dipper would want in. He could help.

And what about the portal? Dana couldn't really tell him anything about that. She couldn't tell him anything actually. Which made him even more suspicious. How could he even take her word. And the fact she has been in contact with Bill so many times didn't help her. He didn't know the relation those two have and he had to be careful. For all he knew she could be working for Bill all along. Or it could be the demon himself possessing her body.

He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on from all the thinking he was doing. Music started playing, and he could hear Mabel talking through the closed door.

“And please give a warm welcome to our handsome bachelor, Dipper Pines!” Mabel said, and Dipper took it as his cue to enter the gift shop.

He squinted as he was hit by bright lights, and raised his arm as a shield. Fake applause came from somewhere in the room and Grenda rasied a board that read WAVE in black sharpie. Dipper did so, and took a good look at the stage. There was a single chair on one side, and the other was blocked from his view. He guessed that was his chair and went to sit down.

“Thanks for being on the show Dipper, now I know your here looking for a sweet nice girl that's gonna treat you right.” Mabel said in her best spokesperson voice.

“Sure?” Dipper said unsure.

“Well your in luck my friend, on the other side of this wall we have three beautiful ladies just waiting to be snared. Say hello ladies!”

Three voices greeted him and Dipper couldn't help but laugh. “Who's the one that got the squirrel voice, that's just embarrasing.”

“I heard that!” one of the girls said behind the wall.

“Yes well Dipper, one of these girls you choose will have a free dinner at, The Club, courtesy of Stan Pines!”

“What?” a voice said from the living room but Mabel ignored it.

“Now I'm gonna get out of here, and you ask these lovely ladies questions. Good luck Dipper.” Mabel went off stage and the spotlight was on Dipper. He swallowed and loosened his collar. From the back, Mabel wrote something down on a piece of paper and held it up so Dipper could see it.

“What..do you like most about yourself?” Dipper said, squinting to read her handwriting.

The old lady answered first, “Easy, my flawless looks.” and Dipper could imagine the hair flip that accompanied that answer.

“I don't know, I like to think I'm pretty chill.” The black man said.

There was an awkward silence, and Dipper was starting to wonder if the last person on the other side died, but a squeaky voice spoke up.

“I like my eyes?”

Mabel raised up another paper and Dipper read off it.

“If an army of gnomes tried to make me they're- Mabel! No fine... If an army of gnomes tried to make me they're queen, how would you try to save me.”

“Dude! I would drive in with a golf cart, run as many gnomes over, get you, and get the heck out of there. No biggie.” the black man answered first.

“Save you? From gnomes? And get my manicure ruined, no thank you.”

“I would eat them all.”

Dipper gave the wall a look at the last answer and read the next question aloud.

“What do you see yourself doing in a few years?”

“Traveling. I don't know where I'll go, but as long as I'm out there exploring, I'll be fine.”

“Become a famous singer, or movie star, either one I don't really care.”

“Living in the woods with a dog I would name Tiger.”

Dipper continued asking questions, all the while guessing who the other persons were on the other side of the wall. He could already guess by her conceited remarks that the old lady voice was Pacifica. How on earth Mabel got her to agree is a mystery all on it's own.

And from the other two, Dipper recognized Wendy's dream to get out of this old town and discover the world. Course she planned to go to college as well, as long as it was far, far away from Gravity Falls. He was disheartened when she told him this. After this summer, he was planning on coming back the next and the next, because there was still so much to discover in Gravity Falls, and he wanted to see Wendy again. But she had 3 years over him and soon she would be off to college. He only had 4 summer's left.

That meant Dana was the one with the squirrel voice. Dipper snickered, trying to imagine the look on her face.

“Last question,” Dipper read, “Do you like staying up late obsessing over a journal and trying to find the author over summer, Mabel!”

“Nah, I don't think I can stay focus for that long.” the black man said, leaning back on her chair.

“Unlike your brother, I have a life.”

“Hey!”

“Sometimes,” the squirrel voice said, “If I have nothing better to do.”

Mabel walked back on stage and stood in the middle. “Well I think we've heard enough for Dipper here to make his choice. So what do you say Dipper, will it be #1, #2 or contestant #3?”

Dipper knew he wouldn't pick Pacifica even if someone would tell him the author of the journals. But if he picked Wendy, wouldn't it be obvious that he still had feelings for her? He didn't want to make the teen feel weird, since she already told him she wanted to be friends. But when will he get another chance to go on a _date_ with Wendy. And at the most expensive place in Gravity Falls. Plus he could show off to that jerk Robbie.

But...

Wendy _would_ take it the wrong way. A sick feeling pooled into the pit of his stomach as he thought about disrupting the friendship they have. And wouldn't it be a good thing? To move on? He couldn't be the love sick puppy forever. And he had to show Wendy he could move on too.

“I pick... contestant #3?”

Confetti exploded and rained down on them and music started playing. Dipper was pulled off his chair by Mabel and shoved into Dana.

“And there you have it folks! Tune in next time for another Mable's Dating Game Show! Thanks for watching and goodnight!”

“I still don't know who she's making this for.” Dipper muttered to Dana.

As soon as Candy signalled that they were no longer recording, Pacifica went straight to the exit, saying something about wasting her time and having something better to do. Mabel stopped her and slapped a sticker on her cheek which said Your A Winner!

“Thanks for coming.” Mabel waved to her retreating form.

“Aw man, I would've loved to go to The Club, if only just to mess it up.” Wendy said as she approached Dipper and Dana.

“You would? I mean we could still go – uh just maybe the three of us?” Dipper said scratching the back of his head.

“Ha, nah you guys go. I don't want to be the third wheeler.”

Dipper shook his head, “No of course not! Hahahah-ow!” Dipper massaged his arm where Dana hit him.

“Whelp I'm out. See you tommorow Dipper.” the teen turned to Dana, “It was nice meeting you, bye Mabel and Mabel's friends.” She waved and left. Dipper let out a sigh and turned to Dana, a frown on his face.

“Why'd you hit me?”

“You were laughing way to long and it was starting to get creepy. I did you a favor.” Was her reply.

“Yeah but that hurt..” Dipper muttered under his breath, still rubbing his sore arm. It didn't feel like a girl punched him (though that would hurt too), but instead felt like Manly Dan had just poked him on the arm with as much force as a speeding bullet.

“What do we do now?” Dipper asked as he watched Mabel rush off to convince Stan to pay for their dinner date.

“I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna sit through a date in a crappy restaurant.” Dana said as she opened the door to the outside.

“You coming?”

Dipper smiled and followed her out to the cold night air.

 

 

 

Dipper kicked a rock into the lake, his hand stuffed into his pant dress. His footsteps made crunching noises as he walked on pebbles and twigs. The moon was up now, a shining beacon in the starry night. He shivered as the cold mountain air seeped into his clothes, so cold that everytime he exhaled a puff of smoke would appear.

He looked out towards the lake, the murky water still and silent. From afar, he could see the lone island that was actually a giant floating head in the distance and wondered what it did down there all by itself. Did he talk to the fish?

“He tried to eat me once when I went swimming out here alone at night.” Dana said beside him in her normal voice, the shroom's magic already wore off from her system. “He actually had me in his mouth but I managed to punch out one of his teeth and slip out before he could munch on my bones.” She made a clacking sound with her teeth.

“Oh so that's where that came from.” Dipper said remembering the huge tooth he found prompting him to create Anomaly #42.

They trudged along in comfortable silence until they reached the lake dock. Dipper followed Dana to the edge and they sat down, letting their legs dangle over the water. He stared down at his swinging legs, left, right, left, right.

It was strange being out so late at night. By now he would be tucked into his bed, absorbing a book or two by the light of his lantern. It was different than what he was used to, but he enjoyed it. He felt independent for once in his life. Here he was out pass – he checked his watch – pass 11 with a friend and in California he would be breaking police curfew.

But he didn't have parents to go home to a scolding, only Grunkle Stan who was probably sleeping peacefully without a thought to were his 12 year old niece was.

Dana let out a sigh and fell back on the boards, circling the moon with the tip of her finger.

The moon.

so pretty...

so big...

all the way up there...

“I'm bored Dipper. Hey, do you wanna see something?”

Dipper looked up and behind him to see her dragging her thumb down her palm, blood blooming from the cut she made with her nail. His eyes widen and he stiffened at the sight.

“What-what are you doing..” he breathed shakily. He followed the trail of blood roll down her pale skin and dripped down on to the wood. She sat up, and her icy blue eyes bore into his brown ones.

“I didn't know your skin could turn that pale.” she laughed, “Don't be scared Dipper, it's just blood.”

He felt dizzy at the sight, and he couldn't look away. His heart sped up and it was getting harder to breath.

“Here,” she brought her palm to his face and he flinched away. “Don't just, just trust me. I promise you'll like it.”

Suddenly being here, alone at night in the middle of the woods was a very, _very_ , bad idea. His mind was going into overdrive as she placed her bloody palm against his lips. But he looked into her eyes and he couldn't think, couldn't concentrate. They seemed to suck him in, those yellow eyes. Her pupils were dilated and it made her look inhuman.

He felt something wet touch his tongue and he wanted to move his head away but he couldn't. She gently tipped his head back, all the while watching him with a transfixed look. He felt it trickle down his throat and he wanted to gag at the metallic taste.

And then he felt it.

It was a warm rush that flowed through his body, making him tingle. Every nerve in his body was set aflame and he felt like he was burning up from the inside. He blinked, and everything became clear, like looking into a crystal clear diamond. He felt the rough edges and grooves of the wood beneath his finger tips and his skin prickled at the sensation of cold crisp air carrasing his hypersensitive skin.

His eyes fluttered shut and leaned back on one of the poles that held the dock up. His breathing evened out and he opened his eyes. The stars glowed and he could've mistaken them for glitter. He looked down at his shaking hand. Funny, he couldn't feel it shaking.

Dipper lazily set his eyes on the girl. She was close, to close, or maybe she was far? Why was she so far away?

He reached out and brushed her hair till he grasped her shoulder.

“What... what is this... its...amazing...” Dipper tried to say but he couldn't focus on the words he wanted to say.

Two yellow orbs flashed at him and she smiled, her teeth white in the darkness of the night.

A sudden burst of adrenaline rushed through his veins and he felt the uncontrollable urge to get up and _do something_.

_Anything_.

**Just do something**

Before he knew it, he was up and running, and god it felt so _good_.

He felt like he could go on forever and never get tired.

Someone was beside him and he turned to see Dana running with him, a wide grin pulling her lips back.

She sped up and ran ahead of him and he chased after her.

He pushed and pushed and screamed into the night.

He continued screaming and hollering and jumping and then he was pushed and he fell back into freezing cold water.

It set his whole body on fire and jolted him more awake.

His shirt was gone, where did it go?

And he was swimming under the moon that shone like heaven's light was descending down on him.

Something dragged him under and all he could see was yellow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried in this one :P all the while I was blasting carousel by Melanie Martinez. I love that song '3'
> 
> as always, thanks for reading :)


	4. Have You Seen the Moose?

"In Gravity Falls State Prison, Li'l Gideon, the fake, adoringly cute psychic that tried to steal the Mystery Shack from Stanford Pines, is getting a bail for $2,500, and is said to be released sometime next month."

"In other news, a group of teenagers wandering the woods came upon a deer carcass. The deer was reported by eye witnesses to be severely mauled. Local sheriff Blubs at the sheriff department along with his deputy Durland has this to say."

"Yeup, that's a nasty one right there. Nothin' was left and all it's internal organs were just gone. It's gruesome, and I suggest everyone not to go into the forest alone, or at night, or both!" Sheriff Blubs said into the microphone, Durland nodding his head in agreement. "It might be a bear, or a cougar, we don't know. But until we find that thing, you'all stay safe and don't go into the woods."

"It was later found to be that 36 deer's had been equally mauled to death last night and the residents are worried not only for their sake, but the sake's of their children."

"As a father of four kids, I know what its like to be worried, and this beast thing going around slaughtering deer's by the dozens isn't making things better. I suggest we get a team of people and go out and hunt this thing down, before it could attack one of us."

Stan grunted and flipped the channel from Gravity Falls News to You Cray Cray!

"Wha - Grunkle Stan I was watching that! All those poor deers..." Mabel whimpered, dragging her face down and her eyes tearing up.

The old man dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Ah its probably just some kids playing a prank because they have nothing better to do with their lives... Miscreants"

Mabel frowned and looked over the chair she was sitting next to. "Dipper, what do _you_ think it was."

"Mmh? Aw what... sorry Mabel what did you say?" Dipper yawned, rubbing his tired eyes.

Mabel's frown deepened as she got a good look at her brother. He looked like he hadn't slept for days, and the bags under his eyes had returned. All n all, he looked utterly exhausted.

"Are you okay Dipper? You don't look so good."

"Yeah kid, where have you been last night. You didn't come till morning." Grunkle Stan joined in, taking a sip from his mug.

Dipper made a noise and groaned, clutching the side of his head at their voices. They were speaking normally, but to him it felt like they were yelling at the top of their lungs. Stan set down his mug and a serious look came on his face.

"You haven't been drinking have you." he said, controlled anger hiding beneath his words.

"No....no of course not Grunkle Stan... I just don't feel good.." Dipper mumbled, stumbling to his feet, wanting to get away and go curl up somewhere, anywhere but here. From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mabel's worried face and he felt guilty being the cause of her distress. He left them and made his way slowly up the stairs where he entered their room and he collapsed on his bed. He barely had the strength to maneuver himself under the covers and he curled into a ball, soaking up the warmth the blanket had from hours under the sun's ray.

All he wanted to do was let himself slip into sweet unconsciousness, but his mind had other plans as it started to try to remember what happened last night, or today since Grunkle Stan said he came back home in the morning. But no matter how hard he tried to remember last nights events, everything came back to him foggy. He only remembered waking up to a tapping on his head which was from a red woodpecker. It flew off once it realized he was awake and Dipper sat up alone on the shore of the lake, his shirt sprawled out next to him. He dressed himself and made his way back to the shack. But from the long walk it made him extremely hungry and he remembered opening the fridge door and then... he was waking up in his bed and had breakfast and sat with Grunkle Stan and Mabel to watch the tv.

Whatever he did, it left him winded. His legs ached, like he had been running for miles and there were bruises on his arms, chest and legs. 

_What the hell did he do last night?_  

He remembers faintly Mabel's stupid dating game show, and he recalls choosing Dana and then... nothing. It was like that part was blocked out from his memory.

He groaned and decided to deal with it later. It was another mystery he had to add to his already long list of mysteries. He soon drifted off to a well deserved rest.

 

 

Two days passed, and Dipper hadn't seen a trace of Dana. He waited for her at their unofficial meeting spot next to the Bottomless Pitt, but when she didn't come he left dejected. He knew she was probably busy with whatever she did, and she didn't have time to waste spending time with a journal obsessed kid like him.

As he returned back from the Pitt, Mabel grabbed him and said Grunkle Stan was taking them into town today. He honestly didn't feel like going, but one look at Mabel and he nodded his head. They climbed in their uncle's car and he rested his head on the window, watching the trees pass by in a green blur.  

Stan glanced at the boy through his car view rear window, and worry filled his gut.

He hadn't made it a big deal back at the time Dipper came home at an ungodly hour, just because Mabel was there, and the girl didn't know anything about drugs or alcohol. He didn't want to scare her, but he could tell the boy was suffering from a heavy hangover. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. The thought of a 12 year old boy, no just _Dipper_ , getting peer-pressured into drinking made his blood boil.

Yeah so the girl was rude, but he didn't think she was that bad. For fucks sake she looked to be Dipper's age. A part of him felt sad at what kind of parents she had, but that didn't excuse her for her actions.

Stan would rather die, or lose an arm, than let Dipper get corrupted. The kid wasn't even in high school. And his parents trusted him in the knowledge that their children would have a safe and fun time here for the summer. Not getting wasted and coming home at 3 in the morning.

Despite his rough exterior, Stan had stayed up all night. First he thought okay, so the kid was probably doing one of his crazy adventure's he did and Stan wasn't worried (much) because the kid always got out alive. But when hours passed and no sign of the boy, Stan grew increasingly worried. The last he seen of him was when Mabel tried to convince him to pay for a dinner date at The Club. He outright refused, but Mabel kept pleading and pleading until he couldn't take it anymore and agreed to pay for the stupid date. Mabel rushed off back to the gift shop, but came back with a hurt face.

She said they were gone, he and Dana, and he asked where. She shrugged her shoulders, pulling her knees to her chest and rested her head down with a dejected look. Stan was ticked off at Dipper for up and leaving his sister like that, and he spent the rest of the time helping Mabel edit the video and made Mabel face pancakes, though it was burnt in some places and the face looked like a fish in pain.

It was around 12 that Stan shrugged on a jacket and with a flashlight, went out into the forest in search for the boy and his friend. He looked everywhere, and even drove into town but there was no trace of the two kids. Stan was wrought with worry and fear. He knew Dipper could handle himself, but what if he was wrong? After all, the kid was twelve and anything could happen to two twelve year old kids out alone at night.

He drove back to the shack, calming himself down and telling himself he was overreacting.

When he walked into the kitchen, Dipper was there asleep on the kitchen tiles, the fridge door left wide open.  

Stan knew that Dipper wasn't very social, unlike his sister. But he would rather have Dipper be a loner than have him hanging out with that girl again. He didn't want to be _that_ parent, but it was the right choice for Dipper, even though he would hate him for it.

The trees started dispersing, and a few houses were scattered here and there, and grew in numbers until they reached town.

"What are we doing in town Grunkle Stan? Are we gonna see Lazy Susan again?" Mabel said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Stan grimaced at the memory of his date with the old lady. "No way in hell. We're here cuz I think you two need a break, and what better way to have fun than go to a fair!" At that moment, they turned a corner and a fair appeared into view, people going in and out under a huge balloon moose tied down with strings.

"Grunkle Stan why is there a huge moose on top of the entrance?" Dipper asked, pointing to the balloon.

"Oh right you kids don't live here." Stan muttered scratching his prickly chin. "It's a yearly thing we do in Gravity Falls." He parked the car in the handicapped parking space and turned back to look at them. "Tell me, since you got here have you ever seen a moose?"

The twins scrunched up their faces in concentration, but remained quiet.

The conman laughed, "That's because their aren't any. Or maybe there are but no one has seen them for a long time."

"Huh, I never noticed that." Dipper said, clearly puzzled at the revelation.

Stan got out of the car and the kids followed. "But why is there a fair for moose if their aren't any?" Mabel asked curiously as Stan paid for three tickets and crossed under the moose and into a crowd of people.

"It's kinda like your Easter Egg hunt. Except people go out to search for a moose instead of eggs." Stan explained, stuffing the dollars he paid for entrance back into his pocket after he swiftly grabbed the money back from the ticket person, who lost them in the crowd. "Now scram, go do what you kids do at fairs and if you want to buy something don't come to me. Just pretend to be homeless or something.."

Stan left the two and Dipper watched him head to a tent that had a spinning wheel to get cash that all fairs had.

"So what do you wanna go on first-!" Dipper was yanked and dragged by his sister towards a huge attraction. "Bumper cars! Bumper cars!" Mabel repeated, thrusting her fist into the air.

Dipper laughed at his sister's enthusiasm and they headed towards the attraction, kids already getting off. It wasn't a long wait and soon Dipper was strapping himself in a red race track car. From the other side, Mabel got into a purple one and glared at her brother. She held up two fingers to her eyes and pointed them at him. Dipper in return dragged a finger across his neck, returning the glare.

A bell rang and Dipper slammed on the acceleration, making his red car zoom forward. Mabel seemed to have the same idea as him, as he saw the purple car heading straight for him.

"YAAAARRRRR!!!" Dipper yelled and Mabel yelled back. He braced himself, and the two bumpers collided, jerking him roughly against the seat belt. From behind him, someone else bumped into his car. He turned around to see who hit him so he could have his revenge.

To his surprise it was Wendy. "Take that Dipper!" she called, reversing her yellow car to smash into him again. He looked frantically between the two cars ganging up on him and before they could hit him, he reversed, making Wendy and Mabel hit each other.

All to soon the bell rang again, and the three of them got out laughing and talking about who they hit and who got the most points. A large crowd of people started forming and they went over to check out what was going on. They pushed through the crowd and stopped to see Sheriff Blubs along with deputy Durland in a heated argument with Manly Dan, and Wendy groaned behind him.

"Sorry Dan but I can't allow this year's Moose Search to happen. With the recent attacks I don't think it'll be safe for the kids, and even the adults." Blubs said to the hairy man. Dan growled and the dark man placed a hand on his taser gun.

"Whoa hold on, can't we just stay in the town region? We don't have to go way in where the deers were attacked." Wendy cut in upon seeing that things were going south pretty quickly. "And we could all stay in groups. It's still light out and we have a lot of time before it gets dark."

"I guess we could try that.." Durland said and looked to Blubs for confirmation. Blubs looked back at his deputy, then to the fuming hairy man behind Wendy and he nodded, "Fine, but the search stops when it gets dark." The crowd cheered and everyone dispersed, getting ready to search for some mooses.

"Wendy," Manly Dan said, clasping a huge hand on her shoulder. "Your staying with me and your brothers. I don't want you going off with someone else, you hear?" Wendy opened her mouth to protest, but shut it. She gave Dipper a _what can you do_ look and walked away with her dad to join her family.

"C'mon Dipper, let's go find Grunkle Stan. I wanna find some moose." Mabel said, pulling him away from the sight of Wendy leaving to find they're uncle.

 

 

They couldn't find their uncle, no matter how hard they looked and decided to join in with a group of strangers. It was he, Mabel, a blonde lady with her son, and two teenage boys who turned out to be Lee and Nate, Wendy's teenager friends.

"Heyyy Dr. Funtimes is with us, yes!" Nate said upon noticing Dipper and Mabel. He and Lee high-fived each other and Mabel snickered, "Dr. Funtimes?"

"Shut up.." Dipper muttered elbowing his sister in the ribs.

Sheriff Blub got on staged with a mega-phone. "Alright people- hey is this working?" He hit the mega-phone a few times on the side and brought it up to his lips again. "Alright people, you have till nightfall, to find, and capture the illusive creature known to man... MOOSE!" The crowd went wild. "On the count of three!"

"One!"

Dipper gripped his flashlight, a determined look on his face.

"Two!"

He turned to Mabel and they both nodded.

"THREEEE!" Old man Mcgucket screamed having snatched the mega-phone from Blubs.

And the search for moose began. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized there are no moose in gravity falls weird huh
> 
> hope u guys enjoyed and as always thanks for reading :D


	5. Moose What?

Two hours in and Dipper was bored out of his mind.

Yes, so he searched vigorously for  the mammal and Mabel was equally encouraged. But after a crying kid who wouldn't shut up and two teenagers running off and coming back smelling suspiciously like mary jane, Dipper's motivation sank, just like the sun was doing right now.

A cold breeze blew softly, rustling his hair and making him shiver. Goosebumps raised on his arms and he rubbed them to keep warm. They were situated next to a stream, and Dipper sat on one of the biggest boulder. He stared at the still, ominous old trees. They were silent, and full of knowledge. He wished they could whisper to him all the secrets of Gravity Falls. 

"I got some water fuel." Mabel climbed on the rock and sat next to him, handing him a bottle of water. He drank and set it down.

"This sucks. We've been out here for hours and not one sign of a moose." he complained, taking of his hat off and running his fingers through his unkempt brown hair.

"Maybe they're extinct. Maybe the moose annihilators ate them all." Mabel said, sticking her fingers over her heads as horns and made an ugly face.

"The moose annihilators?" Dipper asked quizzically.

"Yeah like they're main predator. That's why there's no moose anymore, and why the moose creature is dead because he ate all the moose. Natural selection!"

Mabel crossed her arms and nodded her head, proud of herself for coming up with that logic. Dipper just looked at her and shook his head.

"Hey dude, blondie down there says we should head back." Lee said behind them, having sneakily climbed up the boulder and startling the twins. He smelled bad, and Mabel wrinkled her nose. He didn't seem to notice the girl's discomfort and turned to her, a sloppy smile on his face.

"You're pretty cute, you know that?" Lee rested his chin on his palm and gave a wide, high smile.

"Whoops!" Dipper said, as he 'accidently' knocked his foot against the teens legs and he fell with a thud.

"I'm okay!"  A weak voice said below.

Mabel gave her brother a thankful look and they made their way down and rejoined the group. The mother looked worried, and kept glancing at the darkening sky.

"Okay are we all here?" she said and started counting the heads in the group. "One, two three, four, five..." she paused and Dipper noticed Nate was missing.

"Oh, oh no where is your friend?" She asked to Lee and still high as fuck, shrugged and stared at a passing butterfly. The women bit her lip and smoothed back her hair with shaky hands. She was obviously freaking out, and Dipper stepped up to take control.

"Don't worry, I bet he's taking a leak somewhere. Lets just call out his name and he'll come." His suggestion reassured the mother and she swallowed and nodded her head. So they moved as a group, calling out the teen's name.

"Nate!" Dipper cupped his hands together to make his voice louder. "Naaate!"

"Over there!" Mabel yelled. Dipper followed to where she was pointing at and sure enough, the brown skinned teen was standing with his back facing them.

"Nate, dude what the hell. We were looking for you, you dick." Lee said annoyed as he approached his friend. But Nate didn't turn around. He didn't even to notice their presence. "Uhhh, hey dude are you okay?" Lee touched his shoulder but still the teen didn't move to turn around. Dipper thought he was just pretending just so he could scare them, but Lee waved a hand in his face and Nate didn't jump and turn around to scream at them.

"What the... " Lee muttered, and looked to where Nate was staring at. "O-oh my FUCKING GOD!" Lee screamed and ran, Nate snapping out of his trance state at the loud noise and let out a shrilly scream of his own. Dipper tensed in alarm, and saw emerging from the dense trees a... moose? The huge mammal stood, and blinked dumbly at them.

"Whoo I thought it was the moose annihilator." Mabel said relieved.

"AUUUGHRRRR!!!" The animal shrieked, it's eyes turning a crimson red and kicked its front legs in the air as it leaned back on it's hind legs.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" They screamed simultaneously and took off. Dipper grabbed his sister's wrist and hauled her over rocks, swerving through trees and into and out of bushes. He glanced behind them to see if the moose demon was chasing them, and yep there it was. It's powerful hooves stomped on fallen branches, snapping them in half and Dipper did _not_ want to get trampled under those hooves. 

"It's gaining on us!" Mabel yelled. Dipper searched around frantically, trying to find some place they could hide or- or dammit there was nothing! In a split second crazy decision, Dipper ran to the nearest tree and started climbing, Mabel thankfully catching on, and followed him up. The psycho moose rammed it's antlers into the trunk, and Dipper almost lost his grip. They climbed like squirrels and once they reached a safe distance up, they sat on a sturdy branch and looked down.

The evil moose looked back at them and Dipper swore the creature gave him the stink eye. It puffed, and started circling the tree like a wolf, occasionally ramming into it and making the old tree shake. Dipper didn't notice how fast his heart was beating, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Adrenaline still coursed through his veins from the terror run, making him shake.

"Well... on the bright side we found a moose." Mabel said, smiling at her brother. Dipper deadpanned.

"Hey, _at least_ he can't fly." Mabel countered, putting her hands on her hips. At that moment, the moose halted and shrieked again, this time huge hairy wings sprouting from it's back.

"Mabel!"

The girl squinted her eyes, "Yeaaaah. I should've seen that coming."

They screamed as the moose now with wings, flew up to them and plucked the girl from the tree. "I regret nothiiiiinnnnnggggg!....." Mabel yelled as she was taken away. The animal circled back and grabbed Dipper with it's hind legs and flew up over the trees and away.

 

 

"I blame you."

"Aw Dipper, don't be like that. Look, an eagle!"

Dipper didn't bother to look, and heard her yelp as the bird attacked her with it's beak. "Ah! Shoo! Shoo you monster!"  She said, waving her arms. It flew off with a squawk.

Somehow, they were still alive. The psycho moose seemed to have other plans than to eat them, and they had been flying over the trees for what seemed like forever. Dipper sighed and shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Being carried from the waist by boney legs was giving him cramps. He didn't notice they were descending until the moose released them and they plummeted down into a pile of twigs and bushes.

"Ow..." Dipper groaned as he picked himself out of the scratchy bush.

"We're alive!" Mabel exclaimed, popping out from the bush, a twig sticking out of her hair.

"Yes indeed you are." said a sophisticated voice, and a large grey moose emerged from the tree line, it's red eyes glowing in the darkness.

Dipper glared at the moose. "What do you want from us! Why did you bring us here?"

The moose simply chuckled and more moose emerged. They were surrounded, and Dipper couldn't see an escape route.

"What we want from you is simple." The grey moose began walking? Trotting a bit before snapping his glowing red eyes at them. " **We want your blood.** "

Mabel burst out laughing, catching the attention of all the animals. "Silly moose, you don't need our blood. You guys aren't _vampires_."

The grey moose, who Dipper speculated was the leader of these whack jobs, sniffed and raised his large head. "On the contraire, we  _are_ vampires. Moose vampires." A lightening struck in the background and Dipper now suddenly would prefer hanging out with _Bill_ than be here in this predicament.  

"So  _you_ guys are responsible for all the dead deers!" Mabel yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the moose.

The grey moose reared back and sneered in disgust. "Child how dare you accuse us of such a thing! We don't kill deer, they are our fellow brethren. No, another terrible creature did that." He scoffed, "No table manners that one."

"Then why are we here? Why can't you just feed off of other animals?" Dipper asked.

"We cannot. After countless years feeding off on our natural enemy, the _moose annihilators_ (Mabel squealed and Dipper face palmed), we don't plan on hurting our friends in the forest. But humans, humans aren't are friends, and they are large in numbers. Plenty for my tribe to feed on."

"That's ridiculous." Dipper said, but Mabel frowned and asked, "But how did you guys get turned into vampires in the first place?"

The grey moose's eyes lit up and Dipper groaned, knowing an inevitable back story coming on.

"Because you asked, I must tell you." _Good_ , Dipper thought. He was stalling their death, and giving Dipper more time to think of a way out of this situation from becoming food for a bunch of smelly mammals.  

"It all began one day a very, very long time ago." The grey moose started, "I was young, healthy and alive. I had a charming wife and a son with great potential. It was peaceful... until the _moose annihilators_ started slaying our kind by the dozens."

"Yeah I still don't care." Dipper said and was elbowed by Mabel.

The grey moose continued as if Dipper didn't say anything. "It was a time of great despair. And we thought all hope was lost... But one day, a mysterious cloaked boy came before us, and took pity on us and gave us the power to fight back. The power of Vampirism!" All the moose let out a sound cross between a bull and an angry cow on pms.

"Uuhhh the boy doesn't happen to be named Eric, is he?" Mabel asked, twirling her hair around her finger.

"Why, yes in fact he is." The grey moose said. "But enough of this chit chat." They yelped as the grey moose planted its hooves down on their chests, pinning them down in place. The undead mammal lowered his head down, opening his mouth to reveal two sharp fangs. He turned to Dipper, "Now don't struggle. I don't want to slice your neck open and waste good blood."

"Ahhh!" Dipper yelled as he felt the tips of fangs graze his skin.

"Dipper no!" Mabel cried out beside him.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HOOVES _OFF_ OF MY NEPHEW!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaannnd cliffhanger 
> 
> if anyone is wondering about how mabel knew about the vampire, in the episode with sexy mermando she mentioned having a vampire bf to dipper. 
> 
> this chapter was too fun to write :]


	6. Let's Eat!

"GET YOUR FILTHY HOOVES _OFF_ OF MY NEPHEW!"

The grey moose shrieked as a wooden stake impaled the side of its large chest, and it staggered away from the twins in pain. Dipper sat up, rubbing his bruised chest.

"Bothers! Attack!" The grey moose shouted, trying to pull out the stake with its mouth. From the dense trees emerged Grunkle Stan, holding up a wooden cross, and wore a necklace made out of garlic. He held on his other hand a torch that he waved around, keeping the vampire moose at bay. Beside him, reloading a stake into a crossbow, was Dana.

"The power of Christ compels you!" Stan chanted as he waved around the cross, the vampires hissing at the sight and backing away, while Dana shot ones that got to close. The two reached Dipper and Mabel and Stan pulled out two cross' from his coat, handing each of them one.

"Put these on!" Stan ordered as he gave them garlic necklaces.

Mabel made a face. "But they stink..."

"Mabel!" Dipper scolded and she relented.

"Here hold the torch, and stay close!" Stan thrust the torch into Dipper's hand and they all formed a tight circle. They edged their way slowly out of the clearing, Dipper waving the torch around frantically while Stan kept chanting.

"There's too many!" Mabel yelled as she barely avoided getting chomped.

"Yeah grandpa, got any other bright ideas?" Dana said sarcastically, shooting down another moose.

"Shadap. I honestly didn't think we'd make it this far." Stan confessed, "We're just going to have to run for it!" The conman snatched Mabel and Dipper's wrist and booked it into the forest. They ran like crazy, Stan going so fast that Mabel and Dipper were just barely touching the ground. From behind them, he heard the angry sounds of blood-thirsty vampires take chase. Dipper chanced a glance behind him, and saw a horde of red-head moose charging at them. Dana was surprisingly keeping up with Stan. Dipper looked back again and gasped.

"Dana!" He shouted, when seeing the girl had disappeared. How could that be? He just looked away for a second?

"Grunkle Stan! We have to stop! Stop!" Dipper yelled but it fell on deaf ears. He pounded his fists on Stan's back but that didn't deter the man. He looked back, searching for a glimpse of black hair or something. But she was nowhere to be seen.

They ran until the last of the vampire moose were no longer in sight. Stan slowed down, wheezing for air as he fell to his knees. "Aw man I needa work out more."

Dipper and Mabel hopped off him and Dipper crossed his arms and gave the old man a glare.

"What?" Stan said between breaths.

"You left her behind!" Dipper yelled, waving at the direction they came from. Stan got up, wiping his brow and cracking his back.

"Ah the kid will be alright. She knows what she's doing." He said unconcerned, brushing off dirt and leaves from his suit and fixing is fez.

"But-but she could be really hurt right now! We have to go save her!" Dipper sputtered, waving his arms around.

Stan sighed and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Look Dipper, your friends going to be okay. She was the one that led me to you guys in the first place. I'm sure she can find her way out."

"But-but-" Dipper bit his lip, looking back at the dark forest.

"Come on. Lets get out of the woods before anything else happens." Stan said and walked away from them. Mabel gave a worried look at her brother but trailed after Stan. 

Reluctantly, Dipper followed their uncle out of the woods.

 

 

A moose was tossed on the ground, it's intestines spilling out of the ripped half of its body. Another moose had its head ripped clean off, it's spine still attached by tendons to it's body. Blood trickled down its arm and it threw the head away, the corpse following.

It brought it's bloody claws to it's mouth and slowly licked each one clean, relishing in the taste of coppery blood. But it wasn't enough, it never was enough. It was always hungry. Craving for more. _Starving_. **It was never enough**.

It turned sharply to a moose, and in a blink of an eye, snatched the moose's neck in it's long fingers and dragged the panicking creature towards it. It could've snapped the animal with a flick of it's thumb, but it enjoyed the stench of fear emanating from it's prey. There was no pity in those yellow eyes as it dug its claws into the animal's belly, ripping out it's insides, blood gushing out of it in waves.

The monster dug in, gobbling down the juicy meat. It pressed it's hand down on the screaming animal's head, and with little pressure, flattened the head, the skull breaking and pink flecks of brain squirting out. It tore a hind leg off and took huge bites from the hard muscle. In a matter of minutes, the body was nothing more than a sack of bloody bones.

It got up, it's white coat stained with crimson red. But oh no....no it wasn't enough. It was still hungry. God it was still hungry.  _It hurts it hurts so much._

In a flash, it tackled down another moose but this time the animal sunk it's fangs into the monsters shoulder in a desperate attempt to get away. The creature didn't even feel it, and chomped down on the animal's snout, digging into bone. It wrenched back, taking the side of it's snout with it. The animal shrieked in pain, and it tore the thin meat connecting it's jaws together.

"STOP, STOP PLEASE!" A voice shouted, and the grey moose appeared followed by more moose. "Please we mean you no harm!"

The monster stopped, the moose under it thrashing around, choking on it's own blood. "Please-NO STOP!"

The creature struck its claws into the moose's chest and ripped out a bloody, disgusting heart. The moose fell limp, dead. The monster got up, towering over the animals and munched on the organ, it's yellow eyes glinting maliciously. 

 **"Victor.... Victor...Victor... Now wasn't that a mistake..?"** The monster said, tearing another chunk from the bloody heart and swallowing it down. 

Victor trembled, shifting his hooves nervously. "We- we didn't know it was you... We-we-we didn't recognize you. I-I assure you we wouldn't have done anything rash if we kn-knew it was y-you!"

The monster tossed the last piece into it's razor sharp mouth and grinned wickedly.

**"I know... you wouldn't have... but I require... an apology..."**

"I-I'm s-ssorry. So really s-s-sorry!" Victor burst out, his legs shaking in fear.

The monster laughed cruelly, enjoying the fear it provoked.

 **"Not... that kind of apology... I'm hungry...so..so...very hungry Victor..."** It pointed one bloody claw to a small moose and it squeaked in horror.

Victor darted his eyes to the small moose and then to the monster who only flashed its teeth. "But-but that's! You can't! I beg of you please have mercy please anything but my boy please!"

The monsters smile grew wider, and ignored the father's pleas.

**"Did...I not tell you... the consequences... little sheep..."**

It enjoyed Victor's sputtering and despair. It relished in the tribes terror. It shook, trying to control itself from ripping them all apart and feasting on their flesh.

 **"Or....would you have me... continue..."**  

"NO! No of course not!" Victor stomped his hooves and looked to his boy, who stared back at him with wide terror stricken eyes. "Don't...don't make me say it.."

**"You're resignation....is all I need...."**

The monsters stomped it's way to the small moose and it let out a cry of fear and trotted backwards. The other moose around him backed away, not wanting to get snatched themselves. The small moose screamed as the monster grabbed it's neck and hurled it violently to the middle of the circle. Bones cracked and were twisted in odd angles at the force of the throw, and the small moose desperately tried to crawl away. Victor couldn't take no more and looked away.

**"DON'T LOOK AWAY!"**

It roared and Victor snapped his head back forward trembling and shaking. "Please....please please....no don't..." He stuttered pathetically. 

The monster continued, grabbing the small legs and threw it in the air and smashed it down on the ground hard. The small moose's head cracked and blood pooled out. It's eyes flickered and it whimpered weakly, no longer able to move. The monster pierced it's chest, gripped onto the fragile bones inside, and yanked the ribs out, blood spurting everywhere and skin tearing. The moose opened it's mouth to scream, but only blood flowed out. The creature flung the useless bone away and shoved it's face into the warm squishy insides, and got to work devouring it's prey alive.

The only sounds that filled the night was the squelch and terrible chewing of a monster feeding itself.

God it was euphoria. The smell...the taste....but...

_But it wasn't enough_

It breathed hard as it finished eating. Victor was weeping were he stood, but didn't dare go to what's left of his son.

The creature stood up and stared at the bloody mess on the ground. It's stomach rumbled and a sharp pain struck the monster. But it was used to the constant pain of hunger.

It wanted more more more moremore _moremoremoremore **moremoremore**_

What it really wanted, craved for....

 _....human...human..._ A voice whispered in it's head.

Yes...yes yes that was what it really wanted. **Needed**.

.... _flesh....human....flesh...hungry...so..hungry..._

The monster turned one yellow eye at the despairing moose.

**"Don't...cross me again..."**

It lumbered off, taking the stench of gluttony with it.

 

 

Dipper sat on the roof, reclining in the pool chair to look up at the stars in the night sky. They had found their way back to the festival to find everyone had gone home already. Grunkle Stan had been quiet the whole drive home, and when he parked the car outside the Mystery Shack he got out and went straight to his room. Dipper and Mabel went up to their room, and Dipper opened the small window to climb up to the roof. He wanted to be alone for the moment, and sharing a room with his sister wasn't exactly the privacy he needed.

He was worried sick. Dipper didn't know if Dana was dead or worse. But Stan had made it final they weren't going back for her, and Dipper yelled at him. He thought the conman was going to explode but instead ignored Dipper for the rest of the night. That somehow was worse than getting yelled at.

Now what was he going to do? Dana told him she was going to help him, but she was... No she wasn't. She lived out there in the woods. She probably knew a short cut and ditched the vampire moose behind. Yeah, that was it. She couldn't just _die._ Stan was sure that she escaped in her own way, and Dipper just had to make himself believe that too.

He groaned and closed his eyes.

"Don't scream."

Dipper snapped his eyes open and let out a startled yelp, jumping in his chair.

"Dana!" He breathed, his heart beating fast under his chest.

Sure enough the girl was there, pulling herself up onto the edge of the roof he was on.

"I tell you not to scream and the first thing you do-!" She was cut off by the boy wrapping his arms around her. "Uhh.." She said uncomfortably and tried to pull away from him. He released her blushing and took a step back to create space between them.

"I thought you were dead." Dipper said more quietly this time.

She shrugged and plopped herself down on the chair next to his. "I got lost. But I managed to escape those weirdo's."

Dipper sat back down, still staring at the girl. "Why...Why are you wet?" He pointed out.

She touched her wet hair, as if she forgot that she was dripping water from head to toe. "...I ran off a cliff and fell into the lake."

Dipper's eyes widened in shock. "Are you okay? What-did you break something?"

"I'm fine. It was just a small drop." She said annoyed running her fingers through her hair in irritation. Dipper caught a glimpse of something brown seeping from under her arm and he moved her slightly.

"Hey! What the don't tou-"

"Are you bleeding?" He followed the stain up to her shoulder where he could see actual dried flakes of blood. He pulled her shirt down slightly to reveal two holes.

His breath hitched as he stared at the bite mark. "You got bit?" he whispered.

She shoved his hand away and pulled up her shirt, hiding the wound. "Yeah. I guess I didn't notice.... what? What's wrong with you?"

Dipper shook his head. "You got bit. Aren't you worried you're gonna turn?"

She looked at him confused and then laughed. "Yeah don't worry about that. I'm sure I won't turn."

"But how do you know? Even though they were vampire moose they are still considered vampires." He frowned at his words. That didn't even make sense to himself.

She reclined the chair back so she was laying down. "Trust me. I won't be sucking anyone's blood anytime soon."

He also reclined his chair and they both watched the stars in silence. Dipper glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She wasn't looking at him, just staring at the stars lost in thought.

"Where...where were you? You were gone for a while and I thought...I thought you we're going to help me with Bill and..." He trailed off, looking at her hesitantly. Maybe that's not what she meant. Maybe she just trying to make sure some kid didn't get himself to deep in the town's secrets. But she told him about a portal? Wasn't that not helping her cause?

"Sorry." She whispered, not taking her eyes off the stars. "I was just busy with other things..." She shifted to look at him. "I promise. Tomorrow I'll show you something amazing."

Dipper shifted to look at her too and smiled. "Yeah, cool. Okay."

They stared at each other, and she looked away. "Hey, does that work?" She said motioning to the radio that Wendy brought up to listen to her cool teenage music.

"Mmh? Oh yeah it does. Here lemme..." He reached out and turned it on. Static crackled on and he hit the radio a few times before it started playing a song.

_~I never knew...Just what I wanted...I still don't know...It's all missing...~_

They relaxed back in their chairs and listened to the song in silence. He didn't know how much time passed, but he felt his eyes droop and he was in the state of slipping into unconsciousness.

"Dipper?"

He hummed, barely registering her voice.

"Are we friends?"

"mmyeah..ofcourse we are..." He mumbled. 

She was quiet before she said, "I won't let him hurt you. Not this time..."

But the boy was already asleep and she gazed up at the stars.

_~You got me hypnotized...I'm feeling so obsessed with you...You left me paralyzed...Now I'm stuck...You got me stuck...~_

"I won't let him take you away from me again..." She whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man I've been busy with my fallout fic
> 
> the song is Paralyzed by Mystery Skulls check it out if you're interested :)
> 
> as alwaaaays T4R


	7. The All-Seeing Eye

"Are we friends?"

"Yeah of course." Dipper replied without thinking and cringed. "I mean, if you uh if you think we're friends." Dipper backtracked.

She rolled her head to the side and smiled at him. Dipper felt a chill go down his back. Her smile grew impossibly wider, flashing pearl white teeth.

"Are you okay..."

In a blink of an eye, Dana was inches away from his face and Dipper let out a surprised yelp, falling off the chair. She stared at him and cocked her head, blood streaming down her teeth, a freakishly wide smile still stretching painfully on her face.

**Are we friends Dipper?**

But it wasn't her voice, and her lips didn't even move to speak. Dipper watched horrified as piece by piece, her teeth started to rot and fall off, clattering on the wooden floor. Her face changed to one of horror, and she threw herself to the ground, hands flying out to the decaying teeth. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She was trying desperately to stick her teeth back into her bloody gums, her face twisted in agony and tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Stop..." Dipper whispered, not wanting to see anymore. "Stop please!"

But it was like he wasn't even there, and she grew more fanatic. Dipper cried out as she forced a tooth into her gum, making it stick out in an odd angle.

"No stop! Please stop you're hurting yourself!" He couldn't take it anymore. Why was she doing this? What was _wrong_ with her?!

A blast of light exploded behind him and all the colors drained away, leaving the dull of grey behind. Dana was in the process of reaching out for another tooth, but she slowed down to a stop, frozen in place, her face stuck in a disturbing look of desperation and insanity. Dipper was too shocked to realize what was going on until a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

" _Pine Tree,_ don't you know everybody's got issues!"

Dipper got up and spun around. "Bill!" He exclaimed upon seeing the golden demon hovering in the air.

Bill brought one black hand up to the side of his triangle, and made a motion as if he was cleaning out his ears. "Yeesh Pine Tree, do you always scream out people's names or do you do that just for me." Bill inwardly smirked at his sexual innuendo, the insinuation passing over the boy's innocent head.

Dipper scrunched his face up in concentration. "Wait, if you're here then this must be a dream?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Looks like somebody's been doing their homework!" Bill floated to Dipper's other side and the boy was forced to turn, not wanting to let the demon out of his sight for even a second. You can never be safe with Bill. One moment he's making friendly jokes, and then the next he's taking over your body and using it as a punching bag.

The demon glided down and plucked one of the teeth scattered on the ground and held it up, rolling it between his fingers. Dipper watched slightly repulsed and looked at the girl, still frozen in despair.

"What do you want Bill? If your trying to make a deal with me forget it. I won't fall for your tricks again."

Bill released the tooth and it levitated in the air, bursting into blue flames. "No deal this time Pine Tree. This one's on the house." The tooth burned a bright blue, morphing into a glowing purple outline of a brain. Dipper squinted his eyes in suspicion, not trusting the demon at all.

"What do you mean?" Dipper asked slowly, unsure of what the demon was planning.

Bill rolled his single eye and held up the glowing brain. "You see this brain right here? This is your little friend's mind." He gestured to Dana and continued. "I'm just offering you a free of charge look inside her head! No strings attached, guaranteed."

Dipper crossed his arms. "Yeah, like the time you invaded my uncle's _mind_?"

Bill bristled and turned a light shade of red but calmed himself down and laughed. "Told ya kid, it was just a job. I have nothing against your uncle or you." He flew to him and wrapped a long arm around his shoulder, tightening it when Dipper instantly tried to move away. The demon held the brain in front of Dipper.

"I'm just offering the memories and personal thoughts of toots here." At the exact same time, they looked at the still frozen girl.

"Why is she doing that to herself. What's wrong with her?" Dipper asked, more to himself than to the demon.

Bill waved his hand, "She's having a nightmare. It's funny how desperate they get when they don't have the teeth to eat! You should watch what happens when I give her meat afterwards." Bill chuckled at the gruesome memory.

"She's having a nightmare? But I thought this was my dream?" How was it possible that he could be in her nightmare?

Bill floated up and waved his arms. "Helloooo Dream Demon? I just ripped through a few dimensions to combine your minds together!" The demon said it like it was nothing, and it probably was to him. "But we're getting off topic here. How about the looking into her personal and darkest thoughts thing huh?"

Dipper looked at the purplish brain and then to Dana and shook his head. Bill looked unaffected at his response and simply closed his fist, making the brain dissipate.

"Why do you even want me to?" Dipper asked, because really why? What did it matter?

If Bill had a face, he would've been giving the boy a sly look. "Just a friendly offer. Hey, you don't know a person until you invade their mind, am I right?"

Dipper deadpanned. "I'll take note of that. Can I wake up now?"

Bill glanced up and his eye wrinkled in a hidden smile. "Shooting Star's always on time."

"What?"

 Dipper snapped his eyes open as ice cold water washed over him, making him yell and jump out the chair in surprise. Laughter reached his hears, and he finally realized the other two on the roof. Mabel was laughing like crazy, holding a hose in her hand that was still dripping water. Wendy was next to her video taping the whole thing shaking her head grinning. He heard a faint laughter, and swore to kick Bill out of his dreams next time.

"Wha-a? Mabel?!" Dipper glared, but to them it looked more like a wet puppy pouting. That made Mabel laugh harder and she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Sorry Dipper, but that was too funny." Wendy said, setting the camera down.

Mabel threw his green trunks at him, "Join us Dipper, we're having a water balloon fight. So far Soos is loosing badly and he needs another teammate." They all looked down to see Soos on the ground, soaking wet and unconscious.

Dipper glanced at the chair he last saw Dana, but it was empty. "Uh yeah sure Mabel I need to talk to you." He said quickly and grabbed his sister's wrist, gave a smile at Wendy and pulled her into their room.

"What's up brobo?" Mabel asked when they were in the privacy of their room.

"Bill was in my dreams last night." Dipper said seriously.

Mabel's eyes widened and she started back towards the window. "Dipper, I know I'm a girl and all but I don't wanna hear about your wet dreams of Bill."

Dipper flushed and shook his head. "Mabel, that's not what I meant! And..and I don't have wet dreams.." Dipper muttered blushing.

"Oh then what happened? Did he try to take over your body again?" Mabel plopped down on her bed, wiggling her fingers.

Dipper picked up a towel and started to dry himself off, "No he didn't actually. He just...uh he just...threatened me again and wanted to remind me that he's always watching us and stuff."

Dipper didn't want to lie to Mabel, but now that he thinks about it, shouldn't he tell Dana about his dream instead of his sister? He didn't want to tell Mabel what's going on, less she be pulled into whatever this was. And he liked having his own secrets. He didn't  _have_ to tell Mabel everything.

"Oh, well as long as Bill doesn't try to steal your body or anything, I don't think he's a problem." She jumped off her bed and headed to the stairs. "Get changed already, I wanna throw some water balloons."

She left and Dipper got to it.

 

 

Dipper groaned as something hit him in the back of his head and water exploded, completely drenching him.

"Stop...stop I give up." Dipper moaned and limped away from the battlefield, leaving poor Soos to take on the two girls who pelted him down with extreme accuracy. The man child collapsed dramatically as Dipper sat down and rested against a tree, catching his breath. Wendy and Mabel as a team were unstoppable, and Dipper managed five hits on them while they got twenty. Eight times on the head.

"That was sad."

Dipper was too tired to jump this time and only groaned in agreement. Dana rested on a tree beside him, watching the water balloon fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her munching on something and he turned to see her eating beef jerky from a plastic bag.

"Hey is that beef jerky? Can I have some I'm dying." Dipper asked as he reached out to grab a jerky. She jerked the meat away from his reach, and stuffed two in her mouth.

"No, this is mine. And you won't like this type of beef." She said, but it came out muffled with her mouth full.

"Dana!"

They both snapped their head to Mabel. The girl waved, a big smile on her face, "Come join us! We're winning 30 to 12!"

Dana made a face and stayed put. Dipper looked at the gloomy girl and shook his head. He got up and turned to her. "It's not that bad. Unless you're like me and you can't aim for your life." He laughed and wiggled his skinny arms in emphasize.

She looked up at him from under her lashes and the tips of her lips quirked up. "Fine," she got up, stuffing the empty plastic bag in her butt jean pocket, "But I'm on the winning side." She said grinning and walked to Mabel and Wendy. Dipper returned to Soos who looked like he was going to pass out.

"Dude, I don't think I can take this any longer." Soos said, and wiped his brow even though he was wet all over. Dipper clapped a hand on the man's side, since he wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulders.

"Don't worry Soos. I have a good feeling we're not going to suck terribly this round." Dipper said confidently.

"Huh I don't know if I should take that as a positive thing or not." 

Dipper laughed, "You're right, it's not. Duck!"

The two ducked as five balloons zoomed over their heads. Dipper pulled back his arm and threw with all his might a balloon at the opposing team's direction. It flew in the air but exploded on impact by another balloon mid-air. The girls cheered and whooped, Dana smirking as she reached down for more ammunition. 

Dipper glared, "Oh it's on." He rolled to the side dodging a balloon and picked one up and pitched it.

"Fuck!" Dana twisted so fast she almost fell. "Hey! What happened to can't aim for your life huh?"

"Seems like I got better!" He yelled and threw one at her. She dodged it, and it went past her hitting Wendy on the side. The teen screamed in surprise and turned to Dipper. His eyes widened in horror, and was going to start apologizing profusely when Wendy laughed and chucked one back, hitting Dipper in the chest.

They went, Dipper getting some points, and Soos already soaked to the bone. Dipper tried his best to continue but the three girls nailed him down in a row and he went flying, landing on his back defeated. He heard them cheer in victory, Wendy and Mabel doing a victory dance while Dana walked up to his fallen form. She was dripping head to toe like yesterday, a big grin on her normally neutral face and she stuck out a hand to help him up. Dipper reached up to grab it-

"Get away from him!" They all turned to see Stan marching towards them, anger written across his old face. Dipper got up on his own as Stan stopped before them. He looked between Dana and his uncle confused. Dana wasn't smiling anymore, her lips pursed in thin line as she stared back at Stan.

Stan pointed a finger at the woods and growled, "Leave or I'll  _make_ you leave."

"Mr. Pines!" Wendy gasped behind them but Stan held up a hand silencing her. 

Dana scowled, "Then _make_ me old man."

Stan's eyes widened and he made to grab her but Wendy was there in a flash blocking his path. "Mr. Pines  _what the hell?_ She's just a girl!"

As Stan was distracted by Wendy, Dana grabbed Dipper's wrist and placed something in his hand.

"Something amazing, I promise." She whispered and let go. Dipper quickly shoved whatever it is into his inner pocket vest before his uncle could see it.

"Whatever, I'm leaving." Dana spat, glaring at Stan as she turned and walked back into the forest. Stan and Wendy stopped their arguing to watch her walk off. Wendy turned back to Stan and gave him a look.

Stan sighed, "What?"

Wendy made a sound of incredulity and jogged to the forest to catch up to Dana. Mabel was quiet the whole time, her eyes wide and fearful. Soos was off to the side, twisting his hat in nervousness. Stan stared at Wendy's retreating form and turned around to head back to the shack.

"Why did you do that?!" Dipper yelled, his brows knitted together in anger. Stan halted, and Dipper felt a spike of fear go up his back. He'd never yelled at Grunkle Stan before, and he was scared. The air was so thick you could slice a knife through it. Dipper waited with bated breath for Stan to turn around and yell at him, or even hit him? But the conman did neither of those things.

Without turning he said in a low voice, "You are to _never_ see that girl again. And if I catch you with her I _will_  send you and Mabel back home to your parents."

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Understand?" Stan said, ignoring Mabel which made Dipper tremble with anger.

Dipper glared at the back of the conman's head. "I understand." He bit out. Mabel whimpered and broke off into a run to the shack, opening and slamming the door behind her.

"Mabel!" Stan and Dipper called out to her at the same time. Stan went off after her, and Dipper wanted so badly to follow, but that meant more time around his uncle and he didn't think he could handle it. He was ready to explode.

"Uh, Dipper. I'm just gonna leave now... okay bye!" Soos said before running to his car.

Dipper stood there, just shaking with rage and he let out a breath of frustration. He needed to be alone, just to blow off some steam before going back to Mabel. He didn't want to upset his sister. He shoved his hands into his short pockets and marched off into the woods, no particular direction in mind.

 

 

"What do you want."

Wendy had caught up to the girl and slowed down to walk beside her.

"I just want to apologize for Stan. I swear he's never like that. I don't know what's gotten into him."         

Dana shrugged, "He's just an old turd. I don't blame him for acting the way he did." 

They walked in a brief silence, Wendy looking at the nature around them. "Why is Stan mad at you anyways?" She asked. She'd never seen the old man get that mad. 

"He thinks I gave Dipper alcohal." 

Wendy bursted out laughing. "Oh ho man did you?" 

Dana gave the teen a look, answering her question.

"So how come I've never seen you around. Don't you live here or something?" Wendy asked converastionally.

"I... don't go out much."

It was Wendy's turn to give her a look. "Not even to school?"

Dana pursed her lips. Why was this person being so nosey and damn infuriating. "I'm home schooled." 

"Oh. Dude that sucks." Wendy grinned, "Hey do you wanna hang out with me and some friends. We're going down to stoner canyon."

Dana frowned. "No thanks. I don't smoke." 

"You don't have to smoke. We're not like that. It's just a rad place to hang out. There's a sofa and everything." 

"You're obnoxously friendly." Dana pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that. So you wanna come?"

She stopped, "I can't anyways. My uncles in town and I promised to spend some quality family time with him."

Wendy just shrugged. "Okay. If you ever wanna just hang out you can find me at the shack." She turned around and started heading back. Once she was out of sight, Dana continued her trek through the woods. 

Her stomach growled, and she grimaced. She was so hungry. She reached for her jerky but remembered that it was all gone. Damn it all. She shouldn't have eaten in front of Dipper. But how the hell was she to know the boy was going to ask for some. And she couldn't possibly let him have any of this... peculiar meat. 

She hadn't meant to, honestly. But she was just so hungry. And it's been so long since she had real, juicy flesh. Just thinking of it now made her salivate. 

She's glad that Wendy girl left. But she could still smell her scent in the air. It was damn near irresistible. Being surrounded by all of them at the balloon fight, she thought she was going to lose her shit. And god Dipper's scent was the strongest. 

But no, she had self control. Years and years of self control. It was just that she didn't expect Dipper to be so similar to _him_. The boy reminded her of the man, and it made her feel alive again. 

Like the good ol'e days.

She was just caught of gaurd. She mentally cursed the moon. It always had a strange effect on her. On an eclipse, her brother used to be gone the whole day and come back bloodied head to toe. 

She at least chained herself with silver chains to a boulder. 

She dove through the rushing water and into the tunnel that led to her home. The first thing she did was open her fridge to pull out chunks of meat, nibbling on it as she grabbed an alarm clock and set it to wake her up in 20 minutes. She laid down on the mattress, clearing her mind of anything and set the meat down. The hole allowed her a view of the baby blue sky, and she closed her eyes, lulling herself to sleep...

The alarm clock ringed waking her up. She sat up feeling drowsy from the short nap. That was pointless. Bill didn't come this time, and he usually does. He never misses a chance to torment her.

"Dammit." She cursed under her breath, grabbing the meat from the floor and resuming her snack. She wanted to make a deal with the dream demon. Stan 'forgets' their little conversation at the festival and she would give Bill something he wanted whatever it would've been. Sometimes the demon would just make her scare the local residents in the town, just for shits and giggles. Bill was weird that way.

She didn't plan on the old man figuring out what she was, or sort of. He doesn't know, not everything. That was good, he only knew that she was a mythical being, like the gnomes or something. Hopefully he just suspects she's a nymph or a naiad. It made sense, they would enrapture young men and abduct them for their own crazy malicious use. She was lucky that Stan didn't know that nymphs refuse to wear clothes and preferred frolicking around naked. She shivered in disgust, ugh they freaked her out.

She was stupid for giving him the reason to think she was a woodland creature. But what other choice did she have? Dipper was in danger, and she couldn't just barge in there killing everything. That would've scarred the two children for life. So the only thing she could think of was to lead Stan to them.

 _Stupid old man,_ she thought, ripping a chunk and chewing it. Stupid moose and stupid her.

She only hoped Dipper liked the gift.

 

 

Dipper eventually found himself at the lake again. The walk through the woods calmed him down, and now he was just thinking about Dana. What was he going to do? He couldn't stop hanging out with her, they still had so much to do. But he didn't want to get sent home either. That would ruin their whole summer, and he couldn't do that to Mabel. She had true friends here, and he watched her blossom into the girl she is going to be. Before summer, they just had each other for company. Dipper never fit in at school, sure he had a few friends but they were all interested in sports or other things.

Instead of going out, he was inside reading a good book. What can he say, he's a book worm. Mabel on the other hand was the creative person, but all the girls thought she was weird and shunned her for her out going personality. But both of them didn't mind, much. They had each other to keep themselves company. Their mom said they had a weird relationship. Most siblings their age would fight or pick on each other, but not them. They were each other's best friend, and Mabel did understand him at times.

He was just happy watching Mabel have fun.

He walked down the dock and sat on the edge. It was a choice between Mabel or Dana, and as much as he liked having his own friend, Mabel was his sister and he would do anything to keep her from getting hurt. He rubbed his cheek and suddenly remembered the thing Dana gave him. He reached in and pulled it out.

It wasn't big, a bit longer than the length of his hand. He inspected it. It looked like a miniature golden telescope but it was more roundish and strange markings were carved on the thing. There was a small round glass and he raised it up to his eye and looked in.

"Whoa..." Inside he expected it to be like some sort of kaleidoscope, but instead was a picture of space. It was pretty cool, and since the object was round, it made it look like he was actually there. He covered his other eye and laid back. He was just staring at the stars, wondering how they made it look so real when something bright and burning shot across his view. He jumped and almost dropped the thing.

"What the." He looked more closely and his eyes widened. The stars were actually flickering, and if he looked more closely he could see a asteroid belt in the distance.

_Was this actually real?_

He turned his head, trying to see more of it and was surprised that the scenery moved to reveal the massive planet Jupiter. He laughed in excitement and started turning his head this way and that. He didn't realize he hadn't blinked in minutes, but his eye didn't burn which was odd. Curious, he blinked and the whole thing zoomed out to a sort of menu screen. Nine asterisms appeared, and he realized that each read the name of a planet. Of course he chose Earth. It was tricky at first, but he figured out that choosing one he had to look at it and blink.

It zoomed back in, stars rushing past him and there it was, Earth. It was bluer than he thought. He wondered if he could zoom more on Earth and like google maps try to find his house. He wholly expected it not to work but it did and he kept zooming, directing his line of sight to Oregon. It zoomed all the way in until he stopped at a bird's eye view. Everything looked so small from where he was up there. He didn't recognize where he was and he zoomed out a little. Where was Gravity Falls?

As if reading his mind, everything burned and Dipper pulled his eye away but looked back in. There was the shack, looking as unrepairable as usual. He zoomed out, the shack growing smaller and he could see the forest and the lake. "Maybe.." Dipper zoomed towards the lake. No way could it be possible, that would be too weird. Dipper felt his skin crawl as he spotted the dock, and when he kept zooming he stopped, and stared down at himself.

Slowly, he moved aside the scope holding his breath, but there was nothing staring down at him. Just the clear empty sky. He peered inside it again, and yep he was still there. With his other hand he waved and from the scope, Dipper waved at himself. Dipper shivered and zoomed out away from himself. That was creepy. He played around with the scope a bit more, going back to space and looking at all the planets. He figured out that if he thought of something, it would direct him to see it.

"Awgh!" Dipper hissed as a bright light burned his eye. Okay okay no thinking of the sun no thinking of the sun! He blinked his eye a few times and aside from almost getting permanently blind, it was fine and his vision returned to normal. Right, so outside forces could still hurt him. But that would mean he was actually there, seeing it and not observing it from a glass scope. 

He pulled the scope away from his eye and examined it more closely. The carvings were old, and Dipper couldn't decipher it. Okay he couldn't decipher anything other than English but this language looked _really_ old. He turned it around and gasped. Carved neatly on the end of the scope was a familiar single, wide eye in the middle of a triangle.

"Bill..." Dipper whispered.    

The eye stared back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pluto will always be a planet to me >:)
> 
> Right so I have no idea what i'm doing with the plot, really im just writing shit as I go. 
> 
> As always T4R


	8. Girls Night Out

"Hey. Hey wake up."

Stan groaned, waving away whatever was poking his face, "Five more minutes.." He mumbled, slipping back into unconsciousness.

His eyes snapped open as a sharp pain exploded on his arm and he yelped, sitting up fully awake.

"What the- ahh!" He shot out of bed, and Dana backed away from getting knocked down by the old man. Stan grabbed the closest thing beside him, which happened to be the broom. He held it in front of him like a sword, "Stay back spawn of satan!" Stan warned, shaking the broom for emphasize. 

Dana crossed her arms skeptically, "A broom can't hurt me old ma- ah! Ah what the hell?! - stop!"

She held up her arms to protect herself from the cleaning device as Stan started batting her with it. He stopped and held it again as protection.

"Ow, that actually hurt..." She muttered, rubbing her sore head.

"Yeah, and there's more where that came from if you don't get out!" Stan threated, raising the broom.

She stepped back, raising her arms. "I didn't come here to fight."

Stan scoffed, "What do you take me for, an idiot?"

Dana raised a brow.

Stan growled, "Well I know what your plan is and it's not gonna work. Your going to have to get pass me if you want Dipper!"

Dana had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes. "I don't want your nephew. Well, I do but not in the way you think- ah! Would you stop?!"

Stan wanted to hit her again, but he stopped, resorting to glaring at her instead.

She made sure the conman wasn't going to hit her again and she began, "Look I know you know I'm not-"

"Human?! You're a monster that steals kids!" Stan cut in.

Her nostrils flared, " _I'm not a monster!_ "

Something squeaked upstairs and they froze. After a few tense seconds, they relaxed when the twins didn't come downstairs to investigate the yelling.

She pursed her lips and whispered harshly, "I'm not a monster. I just... live in the woods."

"That explains a lot." Stan also whispered back, "What do you want with my nephew?"

She glared at him annoyed, "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I just want to be his friend?"

"Because you're- you're one of _them_. A creature. And all beings like _you_ are dangerous." He said, pointing the broom at her and she eyed it warily. "The boy can't see how dangerous Gravity Falls is, but I can. And I won't let him end up like-" Stan stopped, a pained look crossing his face.

Dana gritted her teeth, her stomach twisting unpleasantly.

"I swear, " she said, looking him in the eye, "I'm not like the others."

Stan looked at her, and wiped his face sighing, "But you felt the pull didn't you, just like the others."

She opened and closed her mouth. She couldn't lie about that. It was written in the journals. Gravity Falls, for some reason, was a swarm for the weird and magical. She actually had no clue of the place... until a demon told her, in exchange for a deal...

"I can't trust you not to hurt him." Stan said, lowering the broom. "The _beings_ in Gravity Falls, they're all dangerous. They aren't a fairytale, or some adventure for a kid."

She looked away. "I can't do anything to change your mind. But I want you to know that Dipper found me.. and he sort of, grew on me."

Stan laughed, "The kid has a knack for that doesn't he."

They fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts.

Dana pushed her hair behind her ear, "Sorry. I'll just.. go." She turned and heaved herself up the window (which Stan remembered locking before he went to sleep) and disappeared.

Stan sighed again, and sat down on his bed, his weight making the hinges squeak. He had a lot of things to think about.

 

 

Dipper woke up, his dream fading to the back of his mind as consciousness took it's place. He glanced over at Mabel's side, seeing the bed empty. She must've went down to get some breakfast.

Dipper had returned late yesterday, ignoring his uncle's complaint and headed straight to his room. Mabel was already asleep when he entered, and he was slightly glad for that. He didn't think he could talk to her about what happened, and the threat Stan held over him. He hated seeing his sister upset, even more so when he was the cause. He cared about his sister, and he would do anything to make her happy.

He got up, stretching his arms and yawning as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a bowl and making cereal, he walked into the living room where he heard the tv on, intending to join them when he stopped, blinking in surprise.

"Dana?" he breathed. The girl, who looked highly uncomfortable as Mabel braided her hair, looked up.

She bit her lip, and gave him a small smile. "Hey."

He shook his head frowning, "I- I don't understand... what are you doing here?"

She opened her mouth to reply but Stan came in, "Eh, bad case of misjudgment. Your friends not so bad." He grumbled, plopping down on his chair, taking a sip from his steaming coffee.

Mabel piped up smiling, "Yeah! And Grunkle Stan promised to drive us down to the mall. Sorry Dipper but it's a girls only thing. No boys allowed."

Dipper laughed nervously, "Yeah... Dana can I, can I talk to you for a second. Alone."

She nodded gratefully, relieved she could get away from Mabel and her touchy-ness. She got up and followed Dipper through the kitchen and outside the shack, stepping on the porch.  

Dana spoke up before Dipper could, "I know it's weird and unexpected but your uncle and I had a... talk and well I guess he came around."

"Oh.." Dipper shifted his feet. "Does that mean it's okay to hang out with you?"

She nodded, giving a tiny smile.

"Yes!" Dipper exclaimed, and grabbed her wrist pulling her on the couch. He pulled out the tiny scope excited, "What is this? Did you make a deal with Bill to get this?"

She brushed her hair back and sat crisscrossed, "Yeah actually it's pretty cool, huh. I spent hours just looking at the stars. You know I once saw a black hole, and I almost got sucked in."

Dipper put it down, "You did? How does that even work?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Cipher never really explained the instructions for this thing."

Dipper brought it up to his eye again, toying with it till he got it where he wanted it to be and handed it to her. She looked in it.

"Do you know what it is?" Inside the scope, he positioned it so the view could be set on them, and she promptly flipped herself off.

"No. I tried asking Cipher but he said to figure it out myself. Jerk." She handed it back, "Look in it."

When he looked in the scope, his lips parted in an o. Inside the scope, Dipper could see a beautiful orangish dust cloud, green and blue blending smoothly like liquid, and bright purplish stars glowed like fireflies in the dark.

"Is this a nebula?" he breathed, moving his head around to see more of the spectacular view. It was amazing, he felt like he was actually there.

She smiled, "It's the Carina Nebula. If you look closely you can see the dust people."

"Dust people?" Dipper asked and zoomed in.

"Whoa whoa! Don't zoom in, they'll try to rip your eye out." Dana said, and Dipper immediately zoomed back out to it's original position. "Just squint, you can see them from there." He did so, and in the faint distance, a wisp of something emerged from the cloud and merged back in.

"What are they?" Dipper spotted another movement, and this time he could see a person? The dust of the cloud broke off, a figure made up of the dust floated around before merging back in with the nebula.

"Dust people. Literally." He watched them for a bit more, swimming out and in. They relaxed in silence, and Dipper set down the scope. He glanced at Dana, who had her legs stretched out on the arm of the couch, head tilted back and eyes closed.

"Thanks... for this." He fingered the scope. She opened her eyes and turned to him.

"Yeah, no problem. I thought you'd like it."

They fell silent, and surprisingly, Dipper didn't feel awkward. It was a comfortable silence, and he liked it. They were just two kids, chilling out on the porch. Was this what it felt like to just hang out? Dipper wasn't a very social person, actually to some who don't know him, he could come off as anti-social. But deep down, he was secretly jealous of Mabel. Making friends came naturally to his sister, and he wanted to be as social as her.

But he couldn't relate to other kids his age. He felt like he was a grown up stuck in a 12 year olds body. He didn't want to brag or anything but he was more mature than the other kids. Which didn't help him out to make friends.

He glanced at Dana, seeing her make a finger gun and pretended to shoot at the trees, making gun noises with her mouth.

He smiled. With Dana, it was different. He felt like he could be himself, crazy obsessed bookworm and all. Sure she was a bit stiff at times, but he could make her loosen up, like yesterday during the water balloon fight.

"So, you and Mabel are going to the mall?" he asked. 

She scrunched her face, "Yeah... It wasn't my idea. Your sister noticed I wear the same clothes everyday, and she said it was a blasphemy to all girls and what they stood for. She said, leave that to Dipper to look like a hobo with no clothes."

"Hey!" Dipper exclaimed as she snickered, "I don't have time to wash my clothes ok? I got mysteries to solve and stuff.." He frowned, but to her and everybody else, it looked more like a pout.

She sat up, "Speaking of mysteries. You wanna look at the journal now?"

Dipper perked up, "Yeah I almost forgot." They stood up and entered back into the shack and was halfway to the stairs when Mabel popped out of nowhere and jerked Dana back.

"Hey no. No. Girl time." she said.

"Mabel! She can't we have important stuff to do."

Mabel only tightened her grip on the girl's arm. "Chill out Dipper, you can have her back later. It's my turn to hang out with Dana."

"I'd rather not..." Dana input in.

Mabel waved her hand at her, "See she wants to go."

"What?"

"Here." Mabel handed Dana a ten and she immediately took it, giving Dipper a what can you do look.

"You know, you should give me gold instead." Dana suggested.

"Gold?" Mabel said confused.

Dana eased her arm out of the girl's grip. "Go tell your uncle I'll be there. Just give me a sec."

Mabel seemed satisfied and ran off to the living room.

Dipper fingered the edge of his shirt, "I thought we were going to.."

She smiled and he blushed, "Don't worry, Dipper. I'm sure you can survive without me for an hour or two."

He pssh'd and brushed his nose, "Ha, I didn't mean it like, like that." He said with mock bravado and leaned on the wall, but misjudged the distance and tipped down. He yelped and flailed his arms but caught himself before he could face-plant the floor. Dana was laughing, covering her mouth and he turned red.

"I think Mabel wants to go now." Dipper said embarrassed.

"Oh she did, did she? Fine, see you later dork." She punched his noodle arm (softly but Dipper still winced in pain) and left to the living room.

 

 

 "Here, try this one on! I promise this is the last one."

"You said that-" she grunted as the shirt she was wearing got stuck on her elbow, "-eight shirts ago."

"Yeah but these are jeans." She heard Mabel yell over the loud rock music behind the dressing room door, a pair of black jeans tossed over the door and landed on the ground beside her.

"Oh and this!" A yellow t-shirt followed the jeans and she picked it up.

"Why is the duck wearing a hat?" she muttered to herself, staring at the Duck-tective shirt. She frowned and threw the shirt to a corner, unlocking the door and stepped outside.

"Look! Spiked bracelets!" Mabel held up a ton of black bracelets, and Dana pushed them away. "I'm starving Braces. You said you'd pay for food. And why are we even in here?"

Mabel shrugged, "This seemed to be your kind of style."

"I- no, no it's not."

Mabel pouted, "Aw man but I wanted you to try the ripped jeans." She said, holding up a pair of ripped jeans from out of nowhere.

Dana grimaced and shoved it aside. "I don't think so. Can we eat now?"

"Yes." Mabel sighed and they walked out of Edgy on Purpose, leaving the loud rock music behind.

The mall was busy today, loads of people buying last minute 4th of July supply. Dana glared at people, twisting her body to avoid any contact. She hated busy places, or crowds, or anything that had people crammed together. It made her dizzy with want, and her stomach growled. Thankfully, they arrived at the food court, and Dana saved a spot while Mabel ran off to get food from one of the stands.

Dana was staring intently at one fat man when Mabel came back with two hotdogs in hand, a drink tucked under her arm. She hand the dog to Dana, who took it quickly and shoved it in her mouth.

"Well that's one way to do it." Mabel commented and sat down, placing the drink on the table. Unfortunately, she accidently placed it on the edge, and the drink fell, juice exploding from the cup as the lid popped out.

"Aw man." she said, reaching out for a napkin.

"Oh here you go." Somebody handed her one and she took it gratefully. 

"Hey thanks." Mabel said, cleaning up the spill.

"Oh ho, anything for you, Mabel dear."

Mabel's eyes widened and she jumped up. "Gideon?!"

Sure enough, there stood the chubby suited white boy, hair still perfect and skin still soft. He crossed his chubby arms, giving Mabel a sly look. "Surprised to see me?"

"I thought you were in prison!" Mabel exclaimed, still shocked over the fact that Gideon was here in the flesh. She thought she'd seen the last of him when they exposed the boy to be a fake.

He checked his nails, "Daddy bailed me out. But that's beside the point." He took a sip from his drink, "I'm back now, and I want you to know that I still have feelings for you Mabel. And I swear I'm a changed-"

"What are you made out of. Some kind of baby jello?" Dana cut him off, poking his freckled cheeks.

"Ah! Don't touch me you miscreant." Gideon whined, slapping her prodding hand away.

Mabel crossed her arms, "Gideon for the last time, I don't want to go out with you. You had a demon invade Grunkle Stan's mind, stole the deed to the shake, and came after me and Dipper with a giant Gideon robot!"

Gideon rolled his eyes and smoothed out his shiny hair. "I admit that was a bit.. _excessive._ But I'm a changed man."

"Man baby." Dana commented, shoving Mabel's hotdog in her mouth.

Gideon continued ignoring her comment, "My time in prison made me realize the wrong doing I have done to you and the good people of Gravity Falls. So I've come to personally apologize." He got down on one knee and whipped out a flower from his coat, "Mabel Pines. I am truly, utterly, and completely sorry for the trouble I have been to you and your family. Please, accept this gift as a token of my affection."

Mabel plucked the flower up, deadpanned, and threw it over her shoulder. "Gideon, even if you were truly sorry, I still won't go out with you."

Gideon stood up enraged. "Fine, Mabel dear. But remember this- the Pines family will never be safe and I'll get my hands on that shack once again. Just you wait! Gideon is back and he's ready to play!" The plump boy yelled, raising his fist in the air.

But Mabel wasn't listening. Behind Gideon, handing out flyers, was a punk dressed boy, flipping a blue streak of hair out of his eyes. Mabel's eyes sparkled and went wide like saucers. She pushed her cheeks together, "Emo, guitar playing cute boy. I must have you."

Gideon scrunched his pudgy face up in confusion, "Euh, is she feeling alright?"

"Oh, are you asking me?" Dana asked, pointing to herself as she leaned over to steal a burger from the other table. Mabel suddenly rushed forward, knocking Gideon out of the way, and several other people making them yell in surprise as they dropped their food. She tore through the crowd, tripped, and slid towards the gothic boy.

Dana watched Mabel strike a pose on the floor, winking at the boy. Gideon was fuming, his arms shaking at his sides.

She swallowed the burger whole and wiped her mouth. "Which demon did you summon."

Gideon, as if realizing she was there, sniffed. "It's non' of your business. Now if you'll excuse me-" He started to march towards where Mabel was but he was jerked by the collar of his neck to come face to face with her. Her eyes tinged a deep black and she growled, " _Which demon_."

All the while Mabel stood up from the floor, brushed her clothes off and gave the boy a cheeky smiley. She stuck her hand out, "Hi! I'm Mabel."

The boy looked at the offered hand and took it, "Jason." He flipped his hair and Mabel swooned.

She laughed brushing her hair over her shoulder, "So Jason I see you like guitars?"

He smiled and stroked the strings, "Yeah. I'm here with me and my band. We're having a concert tonight out in the woods." He handed her a flyer with a picture of the band, the words HOWLERS in big bloody print.

"Oooh are you guys like a rock band or something?" Mabel asked, eyes shining.

Jason leaned on the wall, flipping his hair, "Yeah, I play guitar. So I'll see you there?"

Mabel nodded her head, completely enraptured by his coolness. "Of course I'll be there!"

"Cool. See you tonight." He walked off to join his group and Mabel sighed dreamily. She had the same dopey smile when she walked back to Dana, Gideon nowhere in sight. She sat down, resting her chin on her hands and sighed again.

Dana frowned, "What's with you."

Mabel snapped out of her dreamy state. "Oh right you don't know. I sorta have this summer love thing where I document all the boys I liked over summer...but they all went terribly bad. Mermando my merman boyfriend got married to this queen Manatees girl, and don't get me started on Gabe. I tried forgetting them with the forgetter thingy whatever it was the Blind Eye society people had but I learned that it's better to remember. I don't want to turn out like Old Man McGucket."

Dana's eyes widened slightly, "Wait slow down. You know about the Blind Eye Society?"

Mabel nodded her head distractedly, still thinking about Mermando. "Yeah. They were really weird, one of them had nothing on but underwear under his cloak." She shivered at the memory, wishing she could've erased _that_ out of her mind.

Dana looked away biting her lip. This was bad, really bad. "What uh, what happened?"

"Well this guy with tattoos all over his head had us cornered, and was about to wipe our memories away but McGucket did this whole hero thing and knocked him out. So we erased all their memories." Mabel explained, but frowned. "Wait... how do _you_ know about them?"

"Oh, um they uh tried erasing my memories but I escaped... and stuff." She lied, and Mabel, gullible Mabel, believed her. "Hey what's that." Dana said, trying to change the subject. She snatched the flyer from Mabel's hands and examined it.

"Jason and his band are playing tonight in the woods. And we're going to go see it!" Mabel exclaimed.

Dana set the flyer done, "We are? Don't you have to go back to your uncle or something.."

Mabel waved her hand, "Pssh nahh, Grunkle Stan'll understand." She hopped off her chair, pulling Dana along. "Now c'mon! We can't go to a rock concert wearing these clothes."

She dragged her off back to Edgy on Purpose and Dana asked, "What's a concert?"

 

 

Dana tugged her dress down as she and Mabel followed the sound of music. She glanced up at the sky, the moon shining it's brilliant glow in the inky darkness. She frowned, why was a rock concert all the way out here? They had been walking deeper and deeper into the woods, and she knew by experience that out here nobody can hear you scream. This didn't add up, and it was making her suspicious.

"Look!" Mabel exclaimed, breaking her out of her thoughts. They arrived at a huge clearing, a stage set up with lights flashing. The band wasn't playing yet, and lots of teenagers were hanging around. Dana frowned as she spotted some blow out smoke, and she could smell the stench of alcohol.

"Braces I don't think you should be here." She said but Mabel didn't hear her over the music.

"Wendy!" Mabel yelled, spotting the red haired teen hanging out with her usual friends. She ran over to her, and Dana was forced to follow.

"Oh hey Mabel. I didn't know you liked this kind of stuff." Wendy greeted, and smiled at Dana. "Now you, I know you like this kind of music."

Dana was going to say no but Mabel cut in, "Not really, I'm just here to see Jason. He's the guitarist of the group."

Wendy nodded her head, "I thought you were done with all the boy stuff."

Mabel gasped, "Done? Are you kiddin' me? I have a whole summer left and I want all the boys I can get!" Mabel then ran off in search of said boy.

"Braces wait-!" Dana called out and groaned. Great, now what was she supposed to do. Maybe she could just leave. This dress was itchy anyways.

"Hey Dana I want you to meet my friends." Wendy said, motioning to the group of teens. "This is Nate and Lee," Two boys waved. "Tambry," Without looking from her phone, the purple haired girl muttered a quick hey. "And Thompson."

Thompson waved before looking nervous, "Hey guys my parents said I can't be out this late so-"

"Don't be a prude man." Nate cut in, taking a hit from the bud, passing it to Lee. "And look, a twelve year old is out so chill out."

"Yes! Yeah okay haha." Thompson agreed quickly, taking a drag as the blunt was passed around. It reached Dana and Wendy took it.

"Dude not one for the kid." Wendy chastised Thompson.

They started talking about something, but Dana wasn't really paying attention. She looked around, spotting Mabel laughing with the Jason dude. She pursed her lips. Something was off, but she couldn't tell what. Out of the corner of her eye, something moved into the forest and she turned but it was gone before she could see what it was.

She squinted her eyes and started for the forest.

"Hey where are you going?" Wendy asked.

Without looking back she replied, "Just for a walk." She didn't wait to hear the teen's reply and walked off. Stepping into the forest, she breathed, relieved to be away from the crowd of sweaty drunk teenagers. Unknown to them, they were really pushing her self control. Her mind screamed helpless prey, and every time she breathed it was like fucking aroma in the air. So she held her breath the whole time until she made her escape.

Away from the temptation, she strolled deeper into the forest. She could still her the music as she relaxed against a tree, closing her eyes.

"What do you want." she said opening her eyes. She didn't flinch as a huge red eye appeared staring back at her two inches from her face. It blinked and hovered away, returning to his normal shape.

"Toots, you were supposed to scream!" Bill whined placing his hands on his triangle hips?

"That was scary the first few times." she said, crossing her arms. "Now what do you want."

"Always business with you." Bill said twirling his cane.

She glared, "Yeah. It is. And why didn't you tell me you made a deal with the Gideon kid."

Bill laughed, his single eye crinkling up, "I didn't know you cared!"

She sneered, "I don't."

He waved his finger, "Aww no take backs! I always knew you cared about me!" He floated to her upside down and she shoved him away.

"Is there a point for all this? I need to get back to Mabel"

"Shooting Star can wait. And she's pretty occupied don't you think." Bill said, making blue fire erupt from his hand, an image of Mabel still flirting with Jason in it.

He made it dissipate with a flick of his wrist. "Shooting Star told you about what happened to our good friends at the Blind Society."

"Yeah. They're finished. What do you want me to do about it." She asked impatiently.

"You and I both know we need them. We don't want all of Gravity Falls knowing about us.. yet." Bill said.

She frowned, "Mabel said they erased their memory."

"That's what they think. Just give me each of the member's blood and I'll do the rest."

She bit her lip, "What about Fiddleford?"

Bill hummed, "You can dispose of him any way you like." He waved, turning around, but peeked back at her to see her frowning.

"Isn't there another way?" She asked hesitantly.

He floated over to her, "Does someone feel guilty?" Bill sang.

"No." She said quickly, "It's just can't you erase his memory or something.. I can give you some of his blood."

Bill stared at her with a look she couldn't discern. When it was becoming a tad uncomfortable he blinked and hovered away.

"Pine Tree's just like Stan isn't he." Bill said turning his back to her. "Both have that _adventurous_ side to them. Always wanting more and more. To learn all the secrets of the world!" She blinked and he appeared behind her and whispered into her ear, "Don't go mistaking Pine Tree for Stanford."

She jumped away, "I'm not!"

Bill chuckled, "Good. I'm sure you learned your lesson the last time."

She glared daggers at the demon. "I _hate_ you."

Bill only laughed, "But I'm all you have left Elizabeth."

 _SHUT UP!_  

She woke up, and punched the tree she was leaning against, leaving a huge crack. She pulled back her hand and brushed away the dirt angrily and stormed back to the concert. She was so mad that she didn't realize everyone started screaming until Mabel called out her name.

"Dana run!" Mabel yelled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the portapotty. They dove inside it and closed the door just as something slammed against it, making the blue restroom shake. The door popped open but Mabel slammed it shut with her feet.

"Help me!" Mabel yelled over the loud screams outside and the roaring of some kind of beast. Dana, not knowing what the hell was going on, did as Mabel said and pressed her foot against the door, just as something banged against it again. Mabel winced and drew away her leg but slammed it back on the door. Whatever it was, it was trying to get in.

"What's-" Another bang, "-going on!?" Dana yelled, grunting as something hard hit the door, making it pop open and this time, a furry claw stuck in, making it impossible to close the door. Mabel screamed, and Dana stomped furiously on the hand till whatever it was growled in pain and drew it away.

"Werewolves! The boy band are werewolves!" Mabel shouted over the roars. The door opened again, and Jason came into view.

"Mabel!" The door closed and got shoved open again. "I'm sorry that-" Dana slammed the door closed but it opened again, "-my brother's want to eat you-" Closed and open. "But I want you to- know that- after talking with you!- I really like you- and I hope this doesn't- ruin our relationship!"

Mabel gasped, "You do!"

"Yes!" Jason said and Dana slammed the door in his face.

"Are all your boyfriends crazy?!" Dana yelled.

Mabel pssh'd. "Yeah aren't yours?"

"No. I've never had one."

"WHAT!?" Mabel exclaimed, moving her feet away from the door, making Dana growl as another bang hit the door, making her leg shack. 

 Frustrated, Dana growled, and accidently kicked the door too hard it flew of it's hinges, hitting the werewolf and Jason, sending both flying back.

"Aw shit." she muttered.

"RUN!" Mabel yelled and they took off in different directions.

Mabel ran as fast as she could but a werewolf leaped over her and landed in front of her, blocking her path. Mabel screamed and turned around to run back but another werewolf blocked her. She stepped back but remembered the other beast and stopped, trapped between them. The werewolf raised one hairy arm, sharp claws ready to slice and Mabel closed her eyes, waiting for the blow-

She snapped her eyes open as the werewolf howled in pain, it's arm ripped clean off. Mabel sucked in breath as a new beast stood between her and the wolf. The white beast dropped a hairy arm, the appendage morphing back to a human arm and Mabel felt her stomach twist. The two monsters faced off, the werewolf snarling while the white beast remained silent.

The thing glanced back at the girl, and she gasped in horror. The beast was hideous, it's mouth filled with razor sharp teeth, and it stared at her with one sunken malicious yellow eye, two deer like antlers sticking out of it's head. It stood like a human, but it's legs bent like the werewolves, with hooves as feet. But the stare it gave her, it was.. it was soulless. Evil. Crazed.

The other werewolf behind Mabel leaped over her and attached itself on the beast's back, chomping down on it's shoulder. It grunted and reached behind it, while the werewolf attacked it with one arm. The beast dodged the swipe, sank it's claws into the werewolf on it's back, and pitched it at the other wolf, knocking them down. It took a step forward, but looked back at Mabel, and she froze in fear. It bore it's sickly yellow eyes at her, and drool dripped down it's jaw but it clenched it's huge fists and turned back to the werewolves.

They roared at it and charged, and Mabel didn't see what happened next since she her brain screamed at her to _run!_ So she turned away from the fighting creatures, and booked it into the forest where the town was. But with all the running and panic, she got lost.

"Aw man which way, which way!?"

"Mabel!" someone called out and she yelped in surprise as Jason emerged from the trees.

"Jason! How did you find me?" Mabel asked as they clasped hands.

"Werewolf. I'm a werewolf." Jason reminded.

"Oh right." Mabel waved her hand, laughing. "Whoa!"

Jason tugged her along and they ran through the forest and back to the safety of the town. Once there, they stopped and Jason gripped her shoulders, checking to see if she was alright.

"Jason I'm fine..." Mabel reassured him. "And although you're family kinda tried to eat me I still want to go out with you." Mabel smiled, holding his hand.

Jason sighed looking sad, "Mabel I wish we can be together, but I can't stay here anymore. We didn't know we crossed over _it's_ territory."

"It's? You mean the scary beast thingy?" Mabel asked, using her fingers as antlers.

Jason cupped her cheek, "I'm sorry Mabel. But maybe we'll be together again someday." He gave her a soft peck on the lips before running back into the forest.

Mabel sighed, touching her lips. Once again, another failure. Dammit why can't her boyfriends be normal for once? Or at least human.

"Oh god.. ow... fucking werewolves..."

Mabel jumped as Dana stumbled out of the trees, looking like shit.

"Dana!" Mabel said and rushed to the girl's side. "What happened? You know usually when I say run we kinda run in the _same_ direction."

"Yeah uh-" Dana winced, "I guess I didn't get that."

"Are you okay?" Mabel asked worriedly and gasped when she spotted a deep bite mark on her shoulder, as well as some scratches. "Your bitten!"

Dana rolled her shoulder and gave Mabel a confused look, then laughed. Deja-vu much? "Yeah no, this was from a wolf. A regular wolf."

"Mabel! Dana!" They snapped their heads to see Wendy and her friends running up to them. "Oh my god are you guys okay?!" Wendy said as she slowed down, "I saw you guys run into the portapotty and that thing dude! It had you guys trapped! What happened- Oh god are you bleeding?"

Dana restrained herself from rolling her eyes, "Yeah I ran into a wolf... I have really bad luck." She added as an explanation.

"Dude you need to go to the hospital. That looks really bad." Nate said, flinching at the oozing blood.

"No!" Dana blurted out but calmed herself, "No it's not that bad. It looks bad but really I'm fine."

"Are you.. sure?" Wendy asked, as her whole shoulder started staining a deep crimson.

"Yeah. You see I'm fine." She started to move her arm up and down and they all flinched in disgust as more blood started streaming out.

"No way, you need to go to the hospital." Wendy said.

"I can't! My parents can't afford it. Really. And they don't know I'm out so late. They'll ground me for months!" Dana lied, trying to appeal to the teenagers. They groaned in understanding.

"Fine.. but what are we going to do?" Wendy relented.

"Just drop me and Mabel at the shack. Their uncle can fix me up. He told me he took medical school for a year."

"He did?" Mabel asked confused. She didn't know that Stan took medical classes.

"C'mon guys can we leave before one of those _things_ come back?" Thompson whined, glancing at the dark forest.

"Fine. Come on, Thompson will drive you guys home." Wendy said and they all piled into the van, Dana and Mabel climbing into the back. 

As the teen's talked amongst themselves about what happened at the concert, and what those things were, Mabel turned to Dana.

"I didn't know Grunkle Stan took medical school." She whispered.

Dana, who was leaning back on the seat with her hand pressed on her shoulder said, "He doesn't. I lied about that."

Mabel gaped at her, "But why?"

Dana shrugged, "I don't like hospitals. And look, I'll be fine. I just need a band aid... or two."

"Or three.." Mabel added.

The van came to a stop, and the side door slid open. The two girls jumped out, and Wendy walked them up to the shack.

"Are you sure your going to be alright." The teen asked Dana.

She nodded, "Yeah."

Wendy didn't look reassured but didn't argue with the girl. "Ok. Seeya tomorrow Mabel." Wendy said and walked back to the van. Once the van disappeared down the road, Dana made to walk off to the forest but stopped when Mabel called out to her.

"Hey I thought you needed a band aid!"

"Eh, not really. I'll be fine.."

"Then a shower. You stink." Mabel said, pinching her nose. Dana stopped at that and took a whiff of herself. Did she really smell bad? Preferably, she liked the smell of blood. But maybe it's not appropriate for humans. And Dipper.

"Fine." She muttered and followed Mabel into the shack. It was silent, and all the lights were off. They tip toed through the kitchen past the living room and Mabel squeaked. Stan was there, snoring loudly on the chair. It seemed like the old man waited for them to come home but fell asleep. Dana glanced at the clock. Not that late, it was only eight-forty.

They snuck past the sleeping man and up the stairs to Mabel's room. Inside, Dana glanced at Dipper's bed, a lump in the covers revealed the boy to be already asleep. She watched it rise up and down slowly.

"Here." Mabel threw two towels, and a pink t-shirt with shorts. Dana held up the pink shirt and gave Mabel a look. "Ha, sorry that's all I have for pj's. Bathroom's downstairs. It might be cold at first but it'll warm up. Grunkle Stan didn't want to pay a for a plumber to fix it."

"Right." Dana walked back out, making her way quietly down the steps and headed to the bathroom. She stripped, finally taking the damn dress off. She winced as the movement irritated the wounds. She looked at her shoulder in the mirror, crusted blood stuck to her skin and on her back long gashes. They looked ugly, and a few hundred years ago she would've felt faint at the sight of blood, but not now. She was used to seeing it. Hell she craved it.

Hesitantly, she dug her fingers into the bite on her shoulder, making blood bubble out. She brought her bloody fingers to her lips and sucked on it as she turned the shower on. Cold water hit her and she sighed. It's been a long time since she's had a proper shower. Bathing in the river wasn't the same as indoor cleaning. She stood under the ray, blood washing off her, draining down the hole. 

She remembered the shower working fine long ago those days. With the thought, she frowned. Fiddleford kept it working in the cold winter. Though the man didn't like her, he didn't deserve what Bill did to him. No one deserved that.

She turned off the shower and stepped out drying herself off. She checked her body in the mirror again, and the time she was in the shower, the scratches and marks healed again, leaving nothing but pale skin. Not even a scar. She slipped on the pj's, grimacing at the pink shirt, and made her way back up to the room, where Mabel had lain out a sleeping bag and pillow.

Dana stood awkwardly, "I can't... really stay." She whispered.

Mabel shrugged, "It'll be like a sleepover. Except, without the nail polish and the boy magazines and the make up."

"I'm not missing anything then." Dana muttered and settled into the sleeping bag as Mabel slipped into her bed. It was quiet, and Dana thought Mabel had fallen asleep so she could sneak out but the girl spoke.

"So you've never had a boyfriend? Not even one?"

Dana groaned inwardly, "No never."

"Why not?"

"Because I hate people."

Mabel pssh'd. "You like Dipper."

Dana turned in the sleeping bag to face Mabel. "Not like that. Me and your brother are just friends."

She heard the bed rustle as Mabel scooted to the corner to look down at her, "Yeah right. I see the way you look at him."

"What way? I don't look at him in any way."

"Yes you do. I've seen it."

Dana pursed her lips, "Well it's because your brothers nice.. and I sort of wish I had a brother like that."

"You have a brother? What's he like?"

Dana frowned, "He's... ok."

She didn't say anymore and they fell silent. 

Dana shifted and whispered, "You're so lucky Mabel. I would _kill_ for a brother like Dipper."

But Mabel was already asleep, tired from the night's event. Dana made sure the girl was truly asleep before crawled out of the sleeping bag. Slowly she slipped under Dipper covers and laid next to him, soaking up the blanket's warmth. The boy mumbled something and turned over so he was facing her and she stared at his sleeping face.

She closed her eyes and pretended to be back in her own bed, in the cabin, back so long ago. Her an her own brother shared a bed since their father couldn't chop down more wood to make a third room. Winter was fast on it's way, and her father had to make sure the house was finished. So she and her brother had to share a bed. She didn't mind, and it was warmer than sleeping by yourself. And she was so skinny back then.

There were barely any food, and her mother's crops died so quickly. The village was fairing poorly as well. Everyone was starving.

Her brother was always so warm.

She opened her eyes, and Dipper's face came into view. Mabel couldn't see what she had- a caring, loving brother. Dana's brother _changed_ after that terrible night. Not only physically but mentally. He grew distant from her, and instead of despairing like she did, he killed and ate and enjoyed himself.

He turned into a monster.

And she did too.

She slipped out of his bed and dressed back into her usual clothes. Giving the twins a parting glance, she left through the triangle window and into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this one was long haha
> 
> I promise more dipper in the next I just wanted to incorporate Mabel into the story cuz she's awesome :) and I have no clue what to do with Gideon. Maybe he'll stir trouble idk.
> 
> as always T4R


	9. Disco Girl

"Favorite color."

"Red."

"Food."

"Steak. Anything with meat. Actually just meat. Period."

Dipper laughed, "Ok um.. favorite movie."

"Easy. The Thing. 1982 version."

Dipper squirmed, "I hate that movie. Gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Ha, pussy."

He slapped her playfully but accidentally hit her in the face. "Ah! Jerk." She slapped him back, purposely hitting him on the chest. He laughed, but rubbed his chest. Man, he'll never get used to that.

They were up in his bedroom, and were looking through the journal until they got bored and started talking about nothing and everything. From Dipper's bed they somehow ended up on the floor, his blanket laid out and they brought his and Mabel's pillow down with them. Snacks and cans of Pitt Cola littered the floor around them as well as many of Dipper's book, the journal left on the bed forgotten.

She picked up a cd case, and examined it. "What band is this?"

Dipper strained his head up to look at the cd case upside down. "Oh! They're called The Bad First Impressions. Here." He reached up and took the cd and crawled to the cd player.

"Okay- okay just listen to this."

Dipper slid the cd in and turned up the volume. It started with a good beat... until the singer started singing and Dana scrunched her face up.

"Oh god what is that infernal noise?!" She threw her pillow at the radio, "Make it stop, make it stop!"

"Hey... it's not that bad." Dipper muttered tossing back the pillow. "They're my favorite band." he said, but ejected the cd out of the radio.

He crawled back to his spot on the floor and laid back down.

"Listen to anything else?" Dana asked, resting her legs up on Mabel's bed.

Dipper blushed, "Well... there is one more song I _really_ like but uh you won't like it. It's stupid. Actually just forget I said anything."

"What? No I wanna hear. What is it?"

Dipper closed his eyes, "It's... Disco Girl by BABBA..."

...

"BABBA? You mean the Icelandic chicks from the 70's? You like them?"

Well at least she wasn't laughing, Dipper thought. "I mean not really they're just uh, I just-"

She laughed and slapped his arm, "I knew a guy who _loved_ them. Played Disco Girl all the time."

Dipper sat up, "Really? I thought the Multi-Bear and I were the only guys who liked them." He got up and stuck his hand under his mattress, pulling out the blue cd case. "You don't mind if I play it?"

"Go ahead, I don't care." He did so and laid back down, Disco Girl filling the room and Dipper nodded to the beat.

"Is Dipper your real name?" Dana asked, snatching his hat and putting it on her head.

"Hey!" Dipper tried to get it back but she slapped his hand away and he gave up. "No... but I always wanted the name Tyrone."

She laughed, " _Tyrone_? Yeah that name is waaay to manly for you."

"I'm manly! I had one chest hair... but Mabel plucked it off but it still counts." Dipper said, pulling down his shirt to rub his hairless chest with a longing look.

"Like the manotaurs? I swear they're all gay for each other. They just don't want to admit it."

"They did bathe together naked.." Dipper agreed, remembering his manly trials to prove his manliness. A bright light flashed with the sound of a camera shutter taking a picture, and they both turned to see Mabel giggling, picking up a fallen photograph from the floor.

Dipper sat up flushed, "Mabel get out of here!"

"Aw c'mon Dipper, you guys' been in here for  _hours_. I can't do all the work by myself. Grunkle Stan said you had to help out too." Mabel complained and looked at the picture. "I ship it." she whispered, clutching the picture with sparkling eyes.

"We'll be there in a sec." Dipper said, anything to make Mabel go away. The girl went to her bed, pulled out a book and slipped the picture inside before skipping out of the room.

Dana groaned, "Do we have to?" She was of course referring to the carnival outside for the 4th of July celebration. The town held an annual festival for the day, and Stan each year let them build the fair on his property, just so he could advertise the Mystery Shack. They were tasked with helping out anyway they can to prepare the fair, but as Mabel said they neglected their duties to hide up in Dipper's room.

Dipper got up and peered through the triangle window. As if sensing him, Stan looked up and glared, jabbing a finger to get down here. "Yeah.."

They got up, Dipper taking his hat back and made their way out of the shack.   

"Finally, you two get to work!" Stan ordered, walking up to them wearing an American flag suit instead of his usual black one.

Dipper scampered off but Dana stayed. "I don't count I'm not your niece."

Stan crossed his arms raising a brow, "You drank all the Pitt Cola?"

"Maybe."

"Then get to work." Stan pointed a finger to where Dipper was struggling to pitch a tent up and she sighed in frustration, but obeyed.

Dipper bit his lip as he tried to hammer a nail into the ground but it didn't budge at all. Not even an inch.

"Move." Dana said, and grabbed the hammer and in one hit the nail dug into the dirt secure. They moved on to the next and repeated the process. In no time the tent was up and Dipper made a face.

"Kissing Booth? Who would even sign up to do _that_."

"I did." Wendy answered, coming up beside them carrying a chair.

Dipper, and it was painfully obvious, lit up like a Christmas tree. "You are!" He coughed, "I mean you are?"

Wendy went behind the booth and set the chair down. "Yeah, the last girl who did it moved out to college so I volunteered as tribute." Dipper and Wendy laughed at the joke while Dana didn't get it.

Dipper asked casually, "So uh just wondering is it a kiss on the lips or cheek?"

Wendy leaned back in her chair, propping her legs on the table, "Lips dude. Cheeks to the weirdo's."

Dipper laughed uneasily, "Ha ha ha, I'm not a weirdo.. nope not a weirdo.."

"No of course not." Dana said sarcastically, flashing a grin when Dipper turned red.

"Oh hey, Dana how's your shoulder? Did Stan fix it up?" Wendy asked.

Dana stiffened and brushed her hair back, "Yeah he did. Uh, we gotta go do work stuff." She said quickly, and dragged Dipper away from the booth. Thankfully, Dipper was more focused on the thought on kissing Wendy that he didn't hear what had transpired between the two girls.

 _Wait did his breath stink?_ He breathed into his hand and took a whiff. He couldn't really smell anything, but better safe than sorry. Dipper broke from her grip and ran to the house.

"Hey where are you going?" Dana yelled.

"I need to brush my teeth!" Dipper yelled back.

Dana groaned and made to follow him but Mabel appeared out of nowhere with Candy and Grenda.

"Dana! I want you to meet my girlfriends, Candy and Grenda."

Candy adjusted her glasses, "Hi, I remember you from the dating show. I like your hair, it's so long." The asian girl reached out to touch her hair but Dana moved away.

"Wow your eyes look like the ocean!" Grenda said in awe, and all three girls advanced on her.

Backing up she glanced away, wondering if she could make a run for it away from these psychos.

Mabel looked at them, "Girls, I think I know what Dana needs..."

"A MAKEOVER!!!" All three girls screamed in excitement and Dana only had time to give them a wtf look before they dragged her forcefully back into the shack.

While on the other side of the fair...

From behind a booth, Stan peeked around the corner eyeing the load of cash in a glass heart shaped container. He rubbed his hands together greedily and walked over to the glass container.

"Finally, this year will be my year to win this baby and that little brat isn't here to steal it from me again!" Stan said to himself, referring to the 4th of July America appreciation contest where each contestant supporting the American flag the most win 500 hundred dollars. And each year Gideon always won.

"Are you sure about that Stanford?"

Stan's eye's widened, "It can't be-" He spun around, "Ah! Gideon?!"

America's little cutie, Gideon snapped his fingers and two buff looking dudes gave him a drink and an American flag. "Surprised Stanford?" He chuckled, taking a sip from his drink.

Stan crossed his arms sending Gideon his best glare, "Actually no. I thought I smelled baby prostitute somewhere."

Gideon raised his hand to his chest as if he's been struck, "Why I never." The chubby boy looked Stan up and down and scoffed, "My, my Stanford you got dressed up. It's a shame you won't win, but A for effort."

"Ha! Not this year kid. This time I came prepared-" Stan flashed his coat open, and dozen of mini American flags popped out with confetti and the American anthem started playing from somewhere inside. He closed his coat, a smug look on his face.

Gideon raised a brow and snapped his finger. Instantly, the two guards ripped the blue suit off and underneath the boy wore a flashing red white and blue sparkled suit, mini American flag sticking from his shoulders with plastic windmills American themed blowing in the wind. He clicked a button on his right sleeve wrist, and the whole thing lit up, flashing the colors and America's anthem blasted from mini audio speakers, little fireworks shooting off and exploding in an array of American colors.

Gideon, the little bastard, gloated, patting the gawking man's arm. "A for effort, Stanford. A for effort." The chubby boy walked off and Stan shook in anger.

"Not this year. This year is my year!" Stan exclaimed, shaking his fists in the air. Soos came up beside him and also raised his fist in the air.

"Soos what are you doing?"

The man child lowered his arm, "Oh are we not doing this right now. I thought we were."

Stan deadpanned, "Get back to work."

Soos sighed, and walked away dejected as Stan ran back to the shack to upgrade his suit.

This year was his year, and he's going to win the cash and beat the little brat.

 

 

The sun was starting to sink, the sky a soft pinkish orange when people started arriving at the fair. In no time, the place was crowded, amusement rides turned on and Dipper could hear the screaming and laughter of kids as he stepped out of the shack. He breathed in and out from his mouth. He had spent the last hour brushing his teeth, his tongue and gums raw. When he was done with that, he tried to go to his room to get a pack of gum but Mabel kicked him out.

"You can't come in yet! We're busy." Mabel yelled, shoving Dipper out before he could see anything.

"But I need gum!" Dipper whined.

Mabel left to get the gum, leaving the door open a crack.

From somewhere in the room Dana called out, "Dipper? Dipper is that you?! Oh god you gotta help me they got me tied to a chair! Call the cops, get Bill, help me-mmphrf!"

Mabel re-appeared, holding duct tape in one hand, and threw a pack of gum at Dipper. "Ignore that, she's in denial."

Dipper caught the gum, and ran back outside, popping five in his mouth.

He adjusted his hat and made his way to where the kissing booth was. There was already a long line, and Dipper tapped his foot impatiently.

"C'mon, c'mon" he muttered, looking around the people in front of him to see Wendy giving a quick peck on the forehead to a little boy. The kid ran off laughing, rubbing his forehead. Dipper groaned, that's it he couldn't wait any longer.

"Excuse me, free pass, work here, sorry!" Dipper said as he cut through the line, flashing them a badge that verified he did work there. Stan had given the kids a free pass. He reached the front and stepped in front of the person next in line.

"Hey, get out of my way dork!"

Dipper turned to see Robbie and smirked, "Sorry, free pass." He said not sorry at all and stepped up to the table.

Wendy smiled when she saw him, "Hey dude, cheek or lip."

Dipper blushed, "...uh.. lip?" He leaned in, his heart pounding a mile a minute. This was it, he was finally gonna kiss Wendy! And it wouldn't be awkward or anything since this was a kissing booth, right? Didn't mean he still liked her or anything. Closing his eyes, he puckered his lips and-

"Uh Dipper. You need to pay first."

He eyes snapped open to see Wendy holding a jar of cash in his face, $5 dollars written on a paper tapped to the jar.

He pulled away, "Five? Five, five, five.." He searched his shorts desperately but nada. He was broke. He laughed nervously, "Ha ha.. hold on for a second." He said sheepishly and ran away to find Stan.

Robbie stepped up next, "Unlike that dork I got a five. Do I get a kiss?"

Wendy took the five, crossing her arms. "Ex-boyfriends who mind control their girlfriends don't get anything."

"Aw come on babe don't tell me you're still mad about _that_."

"Mad?" She reached down and came back up with a broom that Stan let her borrow if the costumers started harassing her. "You could say so."

Robbie yelped as he got whacked, while Dipper finally found his uncle.

"Grunkle Stan I need to borrow five dollars, it's important!" Dipper pleaded, grabbing on to the man's coat, but let go and stepped back, "What are you wearing?"

Stan looked down at his costume, "What, you don't like it? You don't think it's cool, it's not  _hip_  for you or whatever you teens like to say these days." Stan thought he out did himself. He amped the glitter, making it so every time he turned he would sparkle brightly, but it only blinded people. He had also dyed his hair, courtesy of Mabel's hair products, and glued to his back a giant American flag. He had Waddles strapped on the baby carrier, painted red, white and blue, and dressed up as Uncle Sam, a fake beard hanging from the pig's neck.

"It's alright. Can I borrow 5 dollars?"

Stan nodded, "Here you go." He pulled out a five from his coat.

"Really? Wow that was easy." Dipper grabbed it but Stan held it away laughing.

"Yeah right! What do I look like, a charity case?" Stan said, stuffing the five back inside his coat just as the mayor got on stage to announce the tournament.

"Grunkle Stan wai-" But the conman was off, running to sign up. Dipper groaned, now what was he supposed to do? He jumped as something smacked his arm.

"Thanks for saving me, jerk." Dana said, appearing beside him. In the hands of three girly girls, they had curled her hair and forced her into a white skater dress. Thankfully she got to keep her converse. "Hey, what's wrong with you."

Dipper pinched his nose, "I need to get five dollars before the fair closes so I can kiss Wendy but Grunkle Stan's too cheap and I'm broke... Hey do you still have all the ten's Mabel gave you?"

She bit her lip look away, "Um.. no."

"What? It was ten dollars! What did you even spend it on?!" Dipper exclaimed.

She crossed her arms, "Hot Cheetos alright?... they're delicious."

Dipper groaned in frustration, "A chance in a lifetime and I don't have 5 dollars. Someone hates me."

She frowned. Dipper looked so pathetic it made her almost feel sorry for him. Loud cheering drew her attention, and she looked at the stage where Stan was on, strutting his stuff, shaking waddles to the beat.

The mayor got back on the stage, thanking the contestant and stepped up to the microphone. "Alright folks how about that? We got some amazing American pride this year, really spectacular!" He waved to the right and the heart shaped glass filled with money rolled onto the stage. "And don't forget folks, whoever shows the most pride wins 500 dollars!"

She smiled, "I think I know a way to get you money.."

 

 

"That was Stanford Pines, with Waddles the pig, give a round of applause for those two." The mayor said and the crowd clapped and cheered. "Our next-"

"And don't forget if you want to see mysterious spooky things head to the Mystery Shack!" Stan cut in, taking the microphone from the mayor. He got shoved off by the Mayor and he fixed his tie, "As I was saying our next contestant is the adorably cute but evil Lil' ol' Gideon!"

Gideon was carried on stage by his two hired guards and set down. He did the same show again, but this time with bigger fireworks and bigger stereo's making the whole stage shake under the bass. The crowd went wild and threw roses at the boy. "Oh gosh oh you guys." Gideon cooed, catching a rose. He got carried away from the stage, but no before sending Stan a smug smirk.

The mayor got back on stage, "Wasn't that a show! I'm sure Lil' Gideon would've won but we changed it up this year. Not only will contestants wear their pride, they have to show it! Singing, dancing, performing whatever you name it!"

"WHAT!" Stan yelled surprised. "But I don't have anything ready!"

The Mayor shrugged, "Of course you aren't it's a surprise twist!" He cleared his throat, "We will give contestants ten minutes to make and prepare their talent show. Break starts now." Parts of the crowd dispersed, some to get food and most to go to the bathrooms.

Gideon strolled over to Stan smirking. "Ooh Stanford you don't have an act? Tsk Tsk."

"Shut it Gideon you don't have an act too." Stan reflected.

Gideon giggled, "Oh on the contrary, I happen to have an act already planned out. You could say, I _saw_ into the future with my psychic powers."

Stan balled his fists, "Why you cheating little-"

"Don't worry about the act Grunkle Stan, we got this." Dipper cut in, followed by Dana, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda. Dipper turned to Gideon, and blinked in surprise. "Gideon? You're back?"

Gideon glared at Dipper, "Yes I presumed Mabel already told you of my return." Dipper looked to Mabel and she gave him an apologetic look.

"What I forgot." Mabel said.

"Wha? Who else knew." Dipper asked incredulously.

They all mumbled yes' looking away.

Dipper deadpanned, "Really. I was the only one who didn't know."

Mabel stepped up and pointed at Gideon, "You're going down Gideon! We got a show that'll blow everyone's socks off!" At the same time, the Mayor announced the show to begin.

"Oh really. Well we'll just see about that." Gideon hissed and they glared at each other going there separate ways.

They walked to the side of the stage and Dipper looked out at the crowd. Wow, he didn't realize how many people were out there. He started to sweat and his stomach twisted sickly.

"I don't know if I wanna do this anymore." He said nervously. Really, he felt like he was going to throw up. He felt worse than the time Bill wrecked  his body.

Dana smacked his arm, "Do you wanna kiss Wendy or not?"

He rubbed his arm (it still felt like Manly Dan punched him), "Ow!... Yes but.. really? Does it  _have_ to be this song?"

"Yeah it's a classic. Old people love this song."

"But..."

The Mayor cut in, "Alright let's have a round of applause for that a-ma-zing performance by our Lil' Gideon." Gideon waved and blew kisses, blowing one in particular at them evilly.

Dipper narrowed his eyes, "Getting to beat my enemy and kiss the girl of my dreams? Let's do this."  

They were called up next and all five got on stage. Speakers were placed behind them by Soos and Candy, Grenda, and Mabel got in position. Dipper and Dana got two microphones and glanced at each other. Dipper looked nervous but Dana gave him a reassuring smile, even though inside she too was sick. She hoped Bill wasn't watching or he'll never let her go on that.

"Hit it Mabel!" Dipper yelled and Mabel started the music.

Disco Girl by BOBBA wafted out through the speakers, and blushing a deep red, Dipper began to sing. Never in his life, had he been more embarrassed than he was now. But looking out at the dancing crowd, he supposed it wasn't so bad. He glanced at Dana, just as she looked at him. She looked just as embarrassed as he was, but it was okay since the both of them were singing it together.

Mabel, Candy, and Grenda were their backup dancers, dancing some 70s move the crowd seemed to appreciate. Just like he practiced in the mirror, he shook his hips and pointed at the crowd, Dana following suit.

~ _Disco Girl... Coming through... That girl is youuuuuuu~_

The song came to an end, and fireworks exploded in the background as the crowd went wild. Dipper had his finger pointed in the air, breathing hard and smiling wide like an idiot. Roses and cotton candy? were thrown on stage, and Mabel grabbed all the sugary cotton to devour later. They walked off stage waving their hands, the crowd still cheering.

Mabel jumped on Dipper, giving her brother a huge hug. "That was AMAZING! We rocked!"

"Rocked enough to win the money." Dana said, coming up beside them, her face flushed from singing in the cold. At that moment, the Mayor came back on stage, a huge smile on his face.

"Well I think we all know who won this year's American Pride Tournament." The crowd cheered again, and one person even screamed. "Come on up Mr. Stanford Pines!"

"YES! YES!" Stan yelled, pumping his fists in the air and he ran on stage with a shit eating grin on his face. The Mayor stuck out his hand to congratulate the man, but Stan ran past the mayor and attached himself to the money filled heart shaped glass. "Mine! It's all mine!"

"Are you.. crying?" Dipper asked.

"Shut it kid your ruining this for me." Stan perked up and looked to Gideon. "HA! EAT IT GIDEON! I GOT AN A+!" Stan whooped, and danced around like a crazy person on crack.

Gideon narrowed his beady eyes and pointed a chubby finger at the conman. "Just you wait Stanford! You'll get what's coming to you! I'll make sure of tha-AH!! OH GAWD GROSS AW GOD NOT MY HAIR!"

Dana drew her hand back from pitching a shake that Grenda had. They all burst out laughing as Gideon ran away, screaming about his hair. _That one's for making a deal with Bill_ , she thought. Now that the commotion was dying down, Dipper turned to his uncle.

"So Grunkle Stan, can I have that 5 now?"

Stan reached in and plucked a 5 and threw it at Dipper. "That's for winning me this baby. You earned it kid."

Dipper caught it and held the bill proudly, a wide smile on his face.

"Go get her tiger." Dana said, smiling softly. Dipper smiled at her and took off, swerving through people and in record time arrived at the kissing booth. He didn't bother waiting in line this time, and just went straight to the front, flashing his badge at complainers. He slammed the five on the table and looked at Wendy.

"Hey look who got a five." Wendy said laughing and grabbed the bill. "Alright, I guess you want on the lips?"

Dipper couldn't speak because he was so excited, so instead he nodded his head furiously. She shook her head smiling and leaned forward, "Pucker up dude."

He did so and they leaned in. Was this really happening? He didn't believe, it was just so impossible. But it was, and he felt soft lips press against his for just a second before it was gone. He opened his eyes.

Wendy leaned back in her chair grinning, and just like that it was over.

"So how was it?" Wendy asked.

Dipper opened and closed his mouth. How was it? "It was... nice."

Wendy let out air, "Whoo I thought I broke you for a second."

He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah... it was nice." So many countless nights he has dreamed of this moment, always imagining it to be amazing or spectacular as fireworks going off and tiger singing in the background. Don't get him wrong, it was nice and she tasted like soda... but he guesses it's not as amazing as the magazines that Mabel owns says it would be for a first kiss.

"Dipper!" Mabel called out to him and he turned to see her waving at him, Dana standing next to her. "Come on! The nights still young and we have all the rides to go on!" 

He lit up and started to them but glanced back at Wendy, giving her a shy smile. The teen smiled back, giving him a wave. "Go have fun loser."

He laughed and took off, and the three ran towards the bright lights.

 

 

The night went by in a daze. When Mabel said they had all the rides to go on, they went on _all_ the rides. From the tilt a whirl to the rollercoasters, which Dana refused to get on, they screamed through it all. Actually, Dana refused to go on most of the intense rides.

"It's not so bad." Mabel said but Dana refused.

"I hate drops." Was her only reason. "I'll never get use to it."

Other than that, they went on the sizzler next. Mabel called middle, so she could squish the both of them as it spun them around. The ride lurched to the right, and Dipper groaned in pain as their combined weight crushed him. After the rides, they went around playing at the booths. Unsurprisingly, Mabel was amazingly good at all of them, and won each round be it at shooting water to make her horse go faster, or throwing balls in a cup. She even won a fish she named Nemo.

Dana, surprisingly, sucked at all the games, even more than Dipper, and he was bad. But it didn't seem to effect her. She only laughed and they would all run around. The night was winding down as they went to the lit up ferris wheel. Because of their badges, they got to cut through line.

"Only two a seat." The ticket worker said.

There was a moment of awkwardness as they knew one had to sit by themselves. "You guys go, I'll be in the next one." Dana said but Mabel shook her head and before they knew what was happening, the two were shoved into the carriage, the steel holder swung down on them and Mabel clicked the button to make the wheel go up. Dana peered over the carriage, ripping a piece of cotton candy and threw it at Mabel, but it landed harmlessly on the ground.

She glared at the grinning girl who only smiled back at her. The wheel continued, and they rose up, up, up to the very top where it stopped, and the carriage swayed slightly. They had a grand view of the forest, and the moon that shone so brightly like a beacon in the dark ocean. From way up there, the people looked like little ants.

They relaxed in a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

"So why don't you like rollercoasters?" Dipper asked curiously, because seriously, he's never meet someone who hated the ride.

She shrugged, placing her feet up on the edge, "Honestly? I don't know. It looks fun, but when I went on for the first time, I guess I just hated it." She remembered the time when the first carnivals started popping up in America, so long ago. And the very first rollercoaster.

She ripped a piece of cotton candy and gave it to Dipper who popped it into his mouth.

"Oh... and here." Dipper muttered, pulling out a candy necklace from his pocket. She took it and held it in her hand, staring at it. "As a thank you, for what you did. I mean... if it weren't for your idea, I would've never got to kiss Wendy."

She gazed at the candy necklace, an unreadable expression on her face. She raised it to her head and stretched it down, the necklace snapping back to cling to her neck. She fingered it, gazing at the moon.

"Dipper?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wonder how I knew your name."

He turned to her confused, "What do you mean?"

She bit her lip, "When we first met, back in the woods."

He shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, it was weird but a lot weirder things has happened to me here, so I never really thought about it."

She turned to him, "But don't you ever questions why? How did I know so much about you. How did I know so much about Gravity Falls."

"I guess you just found out, like me."

She pursed her lips, "Don't you ever think it was weird that you followed a complete stranger through the woods, and into a cave. You barely knew me and yet you trusted me."

Dipper shrugged again, "You just seemed trustable-"

"No! Dipper think. You barely knew me, hell you barely know me now."

He frowned sitting up, "I do know you. You're Dana. You're my friend."

She parted her lips in frustration and grabbed his shoulders. "Dipper look at me." He did so, brown meeting blue. "Do you remember your dreams."

Well that was a weird question to ask. "No. I haven't had any since... I don't know." He scrunched up his face. Odd, he couldn't recall his dreams, and usually he could remember just a little of it. But now... nada. Nothing.

She searched his eyes, and looked away, releasing him from her grip.

"Dana... is something wrong?" Dipper asked, seeing the girl look troubled.

She shook her head, "No... no nothings wrong."

They fell silent, but unlike the first time, it was heavy and thick. The moon shone down on them, and it made her pale skin look ghostly.

"Dana?"

"Yeah."

She looked at him and his breath caught in his throat. Maybe it was the high from all the rides, or the moon or something but at that moment, all the way up there, just the two of them, Dipper felt his chest tighten as he looked into her pale blue eyes. In the back of his mind, he felt like he's seen them before, but different... And how did he not notice how pale her skin was?

"What?" Dana asked, breaking him out of his trance.

His cheeks tinged pink and he looked away, "No-nothing." What was this feeling? He felt sick, but not like a bad kind of sick that leaves you in bed. No, it was like a queasiness in his stomach, a flutter of butterflies.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he looked at her as she looked at the moon. The sight of her made his heart speed up, and what was this?! He didn't know, but he felt like he should do something. Maybe it was the way the moon lit her up softly that made him do what he did.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he wrapped his hand around hers.

She stiffened, and looked down at their entwined fingers.

Dana stared at it, and drew her hand away. "What are you doing?"

Dipper blushed and scooted away nervously. "I-I- nothing. I don't- I wasn't holding your hand or anything.." His voice cracked at the end and he died a little inside. God could he be any more embarrassing. He wanted to jump off the ferris wheel, fly away, anything to get far, far away from here.

She looked down, her brows knitted together and she shook her head. "Dipper, do you like me?"

"WHAT?!" He blurted out, his face redder than blood. "No! No I mean- I don't- I don't know where you got that idea from?" Great now he sounded like a six year old girl. "Why? Doyoulikemetoo?" He added quickly, and could he get any redder?

She stared at him, her lips parted and oh no, she didn't look happy.

"You don't like me."

...

_What?_

"What?"

She glared at him, her bottom lip trembling slightly. "You. Don't. Like. _Me_."

"Dana-"

She abruptly got up, shoving the safety holder up and Dipper grabbed the edges of the carriage. What the hell was she doing?! The carriage they were in swung violently and Dipper panicked. Oh god they were gonna fall off! She growled and looked over the edge to see Mabel at the control seat. While they were up there, Mabel had taken control of the ferris wheel, purposely stopping the ride so they could be at the top, holding up the entire line.

"Mabel, get us down!" Dana yelled at her but the girl shook her head.

"No! If it doesn't work, force it! Don't deny your love for each other!"

She made a sound of frustration and slammed her hands on the carriage, making it sway more.

"What are you doing!!??" Dipper screamed as she swung one leg over the carriage. She ignored him and proceeded to lift her other leg. Freaking out, Dipper stood up and leaned over the edge. "Take us done, take us down!"

Mabel looked just as shock as he was and slammed on the button. The ferris wheel started and Dipper grabbed Dana and pulled her back into the safety of the carriage.

"Are you crazy?! You could've fell!" Dipper yelled, waving his arms around. She didn't say anything, and when they reached close to the ground, she jumped off.

"DANA!" Dipper screamed as he reached out to grab her but she was just out of his grasp. He peered over the edge, his eyes watering as the image of her lying the ground dead flashed through his mind. But... she was okay? 

He watched in astonishment as she got up, and marched off. He yelled her named but she didn't turn around. When his carriage came to a stop, he flung the gate open and ran after her, Mabel right behind him.

"Dana! Dana wait!" He called. He reached her and grabbed her wrist but she wrenched it away, glaring at him. "Dana! Dana what's wrong?" What happened? Did he do something wrong? Did he offend her or- or what?!

"Dana-!" She spun around and pushed him away. He stumbled back, shocked and Mabel gasped.

Her face was red, and her eyes were watery, her lips trembling. She opened her mouth, like she wanted to say something but turned away.

They stood shell-shocked as they watched the girl march off, disappearing into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Inspirations------
> 
> Always Knew - The Vaccines  
> Peace - California Daze  
> Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Tame Impala  
> and alt-J - Breezeblocks 
> 
> T4R


	10. Blood Pact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter contains boy on boy smut, just wanting to warn you guys. And also this is my first time writing smut so it might be bad, idk :P 
> 
> YOU ARE WARNED!

"No dude I swear, I just- I feel like somebody's watching me. I don't know why it's just- it's just this feeling I get you know?"

"Alex calm down. You're freaking out. Nobody is watching you. You're just being paranoid."

Alex gripped his phone tighter under sweaty palms and he peeked out the window. Nothing. Just darkness. Then why did it not make him feel better?

"I can't take it anymore! I've been feeling like this for two weeks! I don't know what's going on, am I going crazy-"

"Look dude you're not going crazy. As I said, you're just being paranoid over nothing. Nobody is watching you, or stalking you, or whatever. Now are you coming or not?"

Alex checked the window again. "To what? To the party?"

"Yes! Jeezus finally."

He looked away from the window and started pacing back and forth across his room. "No! Are you crazy?! It's in the motherfucking woods! I can't go into the woods, it's like signing my own death warrant!"

He heard his friend laugh, "Fucking hell man, would you just relax? It's a _party_. You're gonna be surrounded by people everywhere. Nobody's gonna get you."

"I- I can't. I don't know I just have a bad feeling about this."

"Come on man, _everyone_ is going. It's senior year, you gotta get drunk at least one time."

Alex ran his fingers through his hair, calming himself down. Maybe... maybe there wasn't some psycho creeper stalking him. Maybe all this time he was just being a paranoid fuck. God, he needed to get out of the house more.

"Fine. Fine I'll be there." He sighed, "But if something bad happens to me, I blame you."

"Whatever dude." He hanged up and threw his phone on the bed. Great, just great. He intended to stay home and watch Netflix all night with a baseball bat close to him but now he's going to a party. He quickly picked out a white tee with jeans and slipped on his converse, putting on a beanie and hit it outside with his skateboard. It took him about 20 minutes to get to the edge of the woods, and the whole time he kept looking over his shoulder. He couldn't help it, he just felt like... _something_ was watching him.

Random assortments of cars were parked, and in the distance he could hear faint music. He picked up his board and walked on foot into the dense trees. As he got closer, the sound of music got louder and louder that he could feel the bass. He took a deep breath and arrived at the party. He said hi to a few people he knew, and posted at a semi-clear tree. He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of his friend.

Agitated, he slipped out his phone and sent a quick text message.

**Hey where are you?**

He looked back up, and felt a shiver go down his neck. He didn't like this. Something didn't feel right. Goddammit he should've stayed home. All of the kids here looked either drunk, high off their ass, or both.

"Bored?" A voice said, startling him.

He put a hand to his beating heart, "Fucking shit!"

A teen, about his age, leaned on the tree next to him smirking. "Sorry, did I scare you."

Alex shook his head, trying and failing to calm down. "No- no you just startled me." More like scared the shit out of him. Holy shit the dude just appeared out of _nowhere_.

The teen's smirk grew wider, and he looked him up and down slowly. Alex felt himself heat up at the boy's inspection and he shifted on his feet.

"I'm Conner." The boy said, his eyes trailing back to look at him and fuck did he just check him out? He looked at the other boy too. Dark messy hair, striking blue eyes, prominent cheekbones, thin lips pulled up in a smirk... He was definitely a knockout.  

He realized he hadn't said anything and he swallowed, "Alex.. I'm Alex."

Conner shifted so he could face Dan. "You look bored. Not into parties?"

Alex shrugged, taking off his beanie to run his fingers through his hair and placed it back on. "No, not really. I uh, my friend convinced me to come." He laughed shaking his head, "He just wants to get me wasted."

The dark haired teen's eyes lit up, "Then why aren't you drinking?"

"Nah I can't. It's stupid and I've seen how it is afterwards. I'm not up to having a headache."

Conner smiled and holy shit could this guy get any more hot?

"Come on, It's not that bad. I'll do it with you."

He bit his bottom lip. He really didn't want to, what if whatever was following him- No. No shut the fuck up brain. Nobody was stalking him. He's just paranoid. He just needed to loosen up. "Yeah, sure why not."

Conner smiled, flashing white pearly teeth, "I'll be back." He watched the teen merge into the crowd to get drinks. He rested his head back, letting out a breath of air. Well, this night was going surprisingly well. He nodded his head to the music, letting his paranoia shrink to the back of his mind. Maybe going out was the thing he needed. He admit, he sort of secluded himself inside his house and looking back on it now, he was only making his paranoia worse.

Conner came back with two red plastic cups and handed him one. They drank at the same time, and he felt a slow burn travel through his throat. He scrunched up his face and coughed a few times, wiping his mouth. Conner chuckled, "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah- it's just been a while." Alex coughed out, pounding his chest. Man has it been that long since he's had a drink? He cleared his throat and shook his head, squinting at the ground. What the...

He suddenly felt warm. Tingly, like ants were crawling up his skin. The sound of the music got louder, almost unbearably loud, and he could feel each wave of the bass pound and vibrate through his body. He blinked rapidly, and he could see each piece of grass on the ground. He looked up, and it was if as he was looking through super hd. He could see everyone, even to the pores on their faces as sweat slid down their skin.

He groaned, closing his eyes, "...god.. ugh what was in that drink?" He muttered, and shit shit it felt like he was burning up inside. His mind was sluggish, or racing he couldn't tell. Something slammed into him and pressed him up against the trunk, and _shit_ he could feel the roughness of the bark against his back through his shirt. Warm breath tickled his neck and he opened his eyes to see Conner pressed up against him, shoving a leg between his legs and _holy mother of fuck_ the feel of his chest touching his was amazing.

He could feel each deep breath the boy took, and fuck if that wasn't hot he didn't know what was. The boy chuckled into his ear and pulled away to look at him, his blue eyes electric in the dark.

"Just my blood."

Alex laughed, his head rolling to the side. "It's... fucking amazing... holy..shit.."

Conner smirked, "Hey, let's go farther into the woods where no one can hear you scream."

"Ok." Alex agreed, staring up at the stars and when did they get so bright? Conner pulled his arm and led him away from the crowd of partying teenagers. As they walked deeper into the forest, the sound of music faded until he could only hear their feet crunching on twigs and leaves.

In his pocket, his phone buzzed and Alex pulled it out to see a text message from his friend. Before he could read what it said, Conner took his phone away.

"I'm gonna throw this at a tree and break it, okay?" Conner said nonchalantly.

"Ok." Alex said, distracted by Conner's hand sliding under his shirt. The dark haired teen did so, and the machine smashed into pieces. Conner slid his hand away from the boy's stomach and continued walking, Alex right behind.

After a while, Conner stopped and turned around to look at the boy with a hungry look. Alex was still looking around in amazement, and noticed Conner looking at him. In a flash, he was on the floor, Conner straddling his hips and he swooped down to smash their lips together, teeth clinking. A tongue invaded his mouth, and Conner grinded down _and shit shit yes_ fuck _fuck_.

The boy underneath him moaned in his mouth, arching his back so their chests were touching. Alex couldn't concentrate, god everything felt fucking amazing. Conner pulled away, leaving a string of saliva that broke. He sat up, and in one quick motion, took of his shirt and threw it away. Instantly, Alex reached out to touch the boys abs, said boy swooping down again to attack his neck.

The sensation of something slick and wet on his skin was almost orgasmic, and when the fuck did his jeans get so tight?

"God.. what the fuck.. did you do.. to me.." Alex breathed out, running his hands up the boys chest to dig into his soft dark hair.

Conner sucked on his neck and let go, chuckling into his ear. "I like my prey _docile_." And proceeded to rip his shirt, the cold night air washing over his chest, and Alex sucked in breath as Conner clamped down on his nipple, swirling it around with his tongue, making it harden.

"Ah... ah fuck...fuck..." Alex hissed, his fingers digging into scalp, sending a pleasant pain down Conner's back. He let go with a  _pop_ and trailed his lips to the other one. Alex's eyes fluttered closed from the intense sensation. Fuck he could  _feel_  the wetness of his tongue and _shit shit_ when he sucked it drove him crazy. He squirmed under the teen, finger flying to his mouth and he bit down softly on it.

Conner looked up, his eyes a dangerous, glowing yellow. He gave the erected nipple one last lick before kissing the boy. Their lips moved against each other, their tongues prodding and Alex didn't want to pull away but his lung were starting to burn. He reluctantly broke the kiss, gulping in air. He didn't have time for his breathing to return to normal before Conner claimed his lips again.

They pressed and moved against each other, Conner grinding down hard again making Alex moan loudly. Conner moved away from his lips, pulling his bottom lip with his teeth and letting it go to move down his neck and away to sit up. He licked his lips and smirked at his work on the flustered boy.

At the sight of swollen lips and basically Alex looking ready to just get _fucked_ , Conner felt all the blood in his body rush down and his member twitched. He bit his lip and palmed his dick through his jeans.

" _Shit_... fuck this is better than watching you masturbate. Ha, I sound like a creeper..." Conner chuckled, grabbing the boy's jeans and ripping it apart, the button flying off. He tugged his jeans down violently along with his boxers and his dick sprung free. The tip leaked pre-cum, and Alex arched his back, yelping when Conner took him in his mouth, and _sucked_.

_Fuck fuck fuck ah shiiiiiit_

Alex moaned loudly, digging his fingers into the soft soil underneath them. Conner bobbed his head up and down, and holy shit he was taking it  _all in_. And then Conner hummed and _fuck fuck fuck me to hell and back holy shit!_

"AH! Ahh..ah fuck.." Alex screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip hard. He felt teeth scrape his dick, sending a jolt of pleasure up his spine, making him moan loader. His moans filled the silent night, and fuck he could hear the slurping and sucking as Conner continued.

He went down, feeling the organ throb in his throat and pulled away, Alex whining at the loss. Conner licked his lips, "Mmmh... you taste so good.. makes me just want to **_eat you up_**.."

Alex squirmed, "Ah... no please, please don't stop.. so close fuck..."

Conner smiled wickedly, his yellow his blazing and he complied, taking him in his mouth again. Up down, up down and fuck he felt teeth drag against his dick and-

His eyes snapped open as an intense pain blasted through him and he looked down at Conner to see his dick hanging from Conner's mouth and _HOLY FUCK!_ He watched horrified as Conner grinned at him and swallowed his bloody member, a bulge appeared in his throat and traveled down to disappear into his stomach. Alex didn't even register the pain. He was too much in shock and he laid there, his mouth gaping wide open.

Conner grinned, flashing sharp bloody teeth and crawled over him and with one hand, shoved the boy's head down, crushing the bottom half of his jaw. Blood exploded and Alex's tongue slipped free into the mushy gore. Tears slipped down the teen's cheek, his eyes bulging but their was nothing he could do. His vision started to blur and he watched as Conner dig his fingers into the messy mush of what used to be his jaw and bring it to his mouth.

Conner chewed on his flesh, moaning. The boy's eyes rolled back and he stopped breathing.

He swallowed, grinning and he whipped out his dick and brought it to the bloody mess and shoved himself inside. "Aw...fuck.." He moaned throatily, slowly moving his hips back a forth, while ripping flesh from the corpse's chest and eating it. He started moving faster, his dick squelching against the gore and _shit yes yesyesyesyesyes so closesofucking close!_

"Jonathan!"

"FUCK!" He growled, opening his eyes to see Bill floating in the air. "Bill!" he exclaimed, grinning crazily, "This is kind of a bad time.." The body was gone, and his clothes were back on but he could still feel the faint aching of release back in consciousness land. The colors around him seeped away, and the familiar presence of grey appeared.

Bill, if he could, grinned, "I can always help you out~"

Conner smirked standing up, "As hot as that would be, my sister would kill me if she found out... How is Elizabeth by the way? Still a prude?"

"Prudey as ever!" Bill said, his single eye crinkling up.

The teen walked to a tree and leaned on it, "So why are you here? I thought she didn't like you talking to me."

Bill rolled his single eye, "Ah she can say whatever she wants, doesn't mean I'm gonna listen."

Conner raised a brow, "Do you need something then? Want a few people dead, sacrificed, tortured... anything my sister won't do, I can."

The golden demon laughed, "Aw kid always willing to help. No.. well nothing of that yet." The demon waved, and a sly look came upon his face. "Do you still want to know where your sister is?"

Conner perked up, his eyes widening. "Yes! Of course..." His eyes narrowed, "Don't **fuck** with me Bill. If this is one of your fucking jokes-"

Bill rolled his one eye, "Nooo why would I ever joke about that?"

Conner glared and Bill laughed.

"So do you wanna know where she is or not?"

Conner dropped his glare, looking at Bill seriously. "You're being serious." He shook his head in confusion, "Why. What do you want in return?"

"That's the great part! You visiting your sister is _exactly_ what I want you to do. Just check up on her, see how she's doing, remind her who's in control (me by the way), kill a few people, I don't care who... A brother-sister bonding time just like you always wanted."

Conner looked at the demon. The whole thing screamed suspicious but... what did it matter? Whatever Bill had planned he really didn't give a flying fuck. He just wanted to see his little sister again...

"Fine. Tell me where she is."

Bill's single eye glinted, "Gravity Falls, Oregon. You'll most likely find her at a place called the Mystery Shack."

"Oregon.." He muttered. He was currently in Montana, but if he ran the whole way, it wouldn't be such a long trip. He needed to pack extra food though.

Bill's triangle body lit up, startling them both. "Hey! Speak of the devil. Ha, get it? Devil." Bill chuckled at his own joke and Conner rolled his eyes. "It's our sweet Elizabeth! Wow, she  _really_ wants to talk to me."

"Elizabeth?" Conner breathed out, his heart jumping at the name.

"Yep! Yeesh she's mad. Gotta run~"

"Bill wait!" he said, reaching out to the demon. The demon stopped floating up, looking at him expectantly. "Can you.. can you tell her I miss her? And- and I love her?"

"Sure thing kiddo! Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, byeeee!" And with that Bill disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Conner woke up, face down on the dirt, the body under him starting to smell. He grunted and pushed himself up, slipping his softening dick out of the gory mess. He tucked himself back in, and picked up his forgotten shirt and slipped it on. His stomach growled at the smell of a dead body so near, but he ignored it. He now knew where she is.

Finally. After so many years.

He was _finally_ going to see his **baby sister** again.

 

 

Dana was furious. No. More than furious. She was righteously pissed the fuck off. Her blood boiled, and she wanted hit something. No. She wanted to hit Bill. Rip him to little pieces (or bricks) and dump holy water on him. She dove through the waterfall to her home, practically flying through the long tunnel to the cavern and without hesitation, marched to the nearest wall and smashed her head on it.

It didn't show, but she knew she was unconscious.

" **BILL!** " She roared, clenching her fists open and closed. " **BILL YOU FUCKING ISOSCELES PIECE OF SHIT!"**

She didn't have to wait long for the demon as he appeared in a flash of blue light, the colors around turning grey.

"Toots!" Bill said, floating down to her.

She roared and all she could see was red. In a second, she transformed into her more natural state and lunged at the demon. **"YOU SICK FUCK!"**

The beast swiped one deadly claw at Bill, but it only fazed through him. It didn't care though, and continued to lash out at the demon.

Bill rolled his eyes. "I take it back, it does get old." Suddenly, one of the monster's arm bent backwards in an odd angle and it shrieked in pain. It clutched it's dis-lodged elbow and quickly snapped it back in place. It glared at Bill, it's yellow eyes burning with the intensity of a thousand suns and it roared at him.

_**Kill him EAT HIM DESTROY** **HIM!!**_

The creature leaped for him again but it was slammed down by an invisible force, the ground shaking and a loud _crack!_ reverberated throughout the room. The monster laid still, a pool of blood collecting around it's head.

A bored looking Bill hovered over the creature, "You done?" 

The monster opened it's mouth, but choked as blood clogged it's throat. Slowly, it's bones cracked and shifted, morphing back into it's human form. Dana rolled her head to the side, letting the blood flow out. Weakly, she picked herself up off the crimson stained ground, clutching her pounding head. She spat out blood, and glared at the demon.

"You sick fuck. _How could you_?" Dana spat more blood out and wiped her mouth. "He already trusts me. He's supposed to be my _friend_. Not your sick, perverted game to make him _like_ me."

Bill's eye widened slightly in surprise and he raised his skinny black arms, "Whoa whoa! Slow down toots, I have no idea what you're talking about."

She gritted her teeth, "Don't! Play innocent with me Cipher." She shook her head, "I don't get it. Why? What else do you want from me? You have _everything_ already. Why make Dipper like me. Why?! It's wrong. It's just _wrong_."

Bill floated down, placing the back of his hand on her forehead and she shoved him away with a snarl.

"Huh, so you're not sick. Or dying. Seriously toots, you hallucinating again?"

"I'm not hallucinating! Stop making Dipper like me."

"Whaaat? _?_ _Ha ha ha!!_ Aw man that's priceless! Pine Tree's got a crush on the big bad-"

"Shut up! If you don't stop I'll tell him everything. I don't care if you kick me out, I'm not playing your sick game." She hissed, but as sincere as that sounded, in the back of her mind she instantly regretted those words. No way could she ever leave Gravity Falls... not back to what she used to be. _Never_.

The air turned icy cold, and a shiver went down her spine. In a flash, she was on the ground, screaming as fire engulfed every inch of her body, and _fuck fuckf uCK!!_ Her body withered and convulsed as her skin shriveled into an ugly, crusty dark brown and god it was in her eyes in her brain, she felt it _everywhere_. She screamed and screamed, clawing at her face and arms, anything to make the intense burning go away.

As fast as it started, it was gone, and she laid on the ground, smoke drifting off her burnt body. Even if this was a dream, it felt real. So, so real. She didn't dare move, she couldn't. Everything hurt and how was she still unconscious? She should've woken up from the pain... What was she thinking. This was a Dream Demon. He could keep her here forever if he wanted to.

She breathed in slowly, and shit shit no more breathing don't breath. Her lungs must've been burnt to crust, and plus, she didn't want to smell her cooked body. God, shouldn't she be used to this by now? It wasn't like this was the first time Bill did this... And sometimes he did it just for shits and giggles.

A wave of coolness washed over her and she sucked in fresh air. Shakily, she got up again. Bill, who was glowing a bright red returned to his normal yellow state.

"Toots, you know I hate it when I have to do that to you." Bill cooed and she glared at him, but didn't dare speak back. Bill was mad, and she wasn't interested on getting set on fire again. Or have her entrails ripped out by her... victims.

Bill's eye crinkled up, "Pine Tree's little crush on you is not my doing. I can urge his mind to trust you, but feelings are a level on it's own. You have the wrong demon. Try Lust, he's _always_ willing to help out~"

She sneered at the mention of the other demon. Lust and her brother were 'friends with benefits', and any friend of her brother was a little shit to her. Including Bill.

Her brows knitted together in confusion, "But.. if it wasn't you then.." Did that mean Dipper... actually liked her? But- but how?! She never showed any signs of liking the boy, or hell flirting with him. She didn't even think of him that way.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Bill exclaimed, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Jonathan says hi."

Her eyes widened, her anger once again sparking, "You talked to him!? Cipher what the hell. I thought I told you stay away from him." Her breath hitched, and sudden dread washed over her, "No... you didn't tell him where I am?"

Bill laughed, "Of course not! What kind of demon do you think I am?"

She bit her lip. Bill wouldn't tell, she was sure of that. He doesn't suspect anything.. Fuck. If she knew she would be tangled in the demon's schemes, she would've declined his offer-deal. But that was a 100 or so years too late. She closed her eyes, brushing her hair out of her face. How long could she keep this up? Working for Bill, but planning against him. Maybe she should just kill herself. That would make life much easier. Or non-life.

She opened her eyes and jumped back away from a huge, pulsing red eye. Bill laughed, spinning backwards clutching his stomach? The middle of his pyramid body. "And you said it wasn't scary anymore!"

She gritted her teeth in irritation. Fucking demons. Fucking _insane_ demons.

"You haven't been doing what you're ordered." Bill said, his demeanor changing from light-hearted to deadly serious. " **Why is that?** "

Her lip twitched but she steeled her face, "I have been. You said to distract the boy and I have been doing that-"

" **Have you?** " Bill closed his single eye, calming himself down and opened it. "You know that's not all I asked you to do."

She looked away, "I... I'm still working on it okay? The old man must know who the rest of the members are but I can't just force it out of him. And he broke away from the society years ago. There could be more of them he doesn't know about."

Bill narrowed his eye, turning away as an image of a pharaoh's head on top of a crest with 3 stars above it flashed in his body. Dana brushed her hair back, "You know this would've been easier if you got his memories when you were in his head."

The demon's body tinged red, "Those mortal fools had to get in my way and mess up my plans! If I didn't need them so much they would be dead by now."

"You mean you would've had me kill them. Since you can't _hurt_ anyone physically-"

" _I KNOW!_ " Bill flared, blue flames erupting from his body. He closed his single eye, "Yikes, I'm starting to sound like that boogeyman guy."

She laughed inwardly at the memory. How was she to know the giant bunny was a spirit and not dinner. And god that winter spirit wouldn't _shutup_. Always yapping about fun and hey let's throw snowballs like jolly idiots. Though, her brother and him got along nicely. She rolled her eyes, Jonathan showed the winter spirit another kind of _fun_.

Her brother needed an intervention from sex.

"Look I'll get to it. Can I go now?" She didn't want to be around Bill more than necessary. And now that she knows that Bill wasn't the cause of Dipper's.. feelings she had an apology to give to the boy.

Right when she finished, blue fire engulfed her again and before she could scream she woke up. She laid on the floor, just _hating_ the demon. The pain was still fresh in her mind, and she rubbed her arms. Getting up, she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a pound of bloody meat.

Just a little snack for the road.

 

 

Dipper was alone (Mabel still outside in the fair with her friends), curled up in his bed looking through the journal. But it seemed no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, Dana came creeping back into the front of his mind. He groaned and slammed the dusty journal shut, rolling over to lay on his back. Staring up at the ceiling, where a birds nest still was, he thought about what just happened an hour ago.

He flipped it over and over in his mind but the only conclusion he came up with is that he scared her off. He dragged his fingers down his face, why why did he do that? God that was so embarrassing. Well, at least he didn't try to kiss her, the positive side of his brain said, but still. She wanted to jump out of a _ferris_ wheel to get away from him. Wait she did.

Man this was worse than the time he confessed his like to a girl in his 3rd grade class. _She_ didn't jump out of a ferris wheel but still, rejection stung.

Now she's gone, somewhere off to her caveman cave maybe, and he felt like utter crap. Anxiety was eating him up. What will happen now? Was she not his friend anymore? No, that's not what he wanted to happen at all. How could a simple holding hands ruin their friendship?! He wasn't even thinking at the time, he just did.

How could he be so stupid to think she would like him too. 

_Hell you don't even know me now._

What did she meant by that? Of course he knows her... right? But know that he thinks about it, he felt like a part of his mind was cloudy. Hazy.

_Do you remember your dreams?_

Try as he might, he couldn't. Did this had something to do with Bill. Was Bill messing with his dreams? That would be logical, Bill was after all a dream demon.

_Knock Knock Knock_

Dipper sat up, snapping his head towards the window. His eyes widened in shock. "Dana..?" The girl he was thinking about was right outside his window, and rapped her knuckles again on the glass, pointing to the lock. Oh! He jumped out of bed and quickly made his way to the triangle window, unlocking it. She pushed it open and stepped inside. Dipper stared at her bewildered. He peered out the window, but there wasn't anything that could've made it possible for her to climb up here. 

"How- how did you get up here?" Dipper asked.

She shrugged climbing onto his bed. "I do a lot of parkour."

He stood where he was, shifting on his feet nervously. "Why.. I thought- I" He closed his eyes taking a deep breath, "Why are you here? Back at the ferris-"

"I'm sorry." She looked away, brushing her hair back. "I didn't mean for that to happen. It's just... um, it's.. I'm not used to whatever that was.." She finished lamely. "I guess I overreacted.. a bit." Dipper joined her on the bed too, so that they were sitting crisscross across from each other.

He laughed, "A bit? You jumped off a ferris wheel." 

She smiled, "Yeah okay, I overreacted a lot."

Their laughter died down, and anxiety crawled back into his mind. She seemed to sense his apprehensive state and slowly took his hand in hers. She rolled it over so his palm was facing up.

She bit her lip, "I.. like you too Dipper. But can we just be friends?"

He nodded, "Yeah- yeah no problem." He brushed his nose, playing it off cool. Yeup, didn't matter to him at all.

"You wanna look through this?" She held up journal 3, and just like that the awkwardness in the room dissipated. Dipper nodded excitedly and laid on his stomach next to her.

She opened to a random page, which happened to be the one where the author wrote in harsh, bold letters **TRUST NO ONE!**

Dipper tapped the words, "I always wondered what he meant. The author. You said you knew him, right? Did something happen to make him right this?"

No response came, and he looked at her. She was staring at the words solemnly.

"Dana?"

She blinked, shaking away whatever thoughts shrouded her mind, "Yeah... someone he thought he could trust.. betrayed him. That person did something horrible to his partner and.. well." She motioned to the words.

"You mean old man McGucket? Did you see what happened to him?"

She shook her head. "No. I was out. I only found out when I came back from the woods."

Dipper frowned, staring at the words. A sudden thought came to him, and his stomach dropped. How in the world did he not notice this. "When.. when did this happen?"

"A couple years ago." She replied easily. Dipper's heart sped up. That couldn't be possible. Old man McGucket looked to be in his late thirties when they watched his memory back at the museum. But now McGucket was old, super old. And it would have to be before Stan took ownership of the shack. That would mean..

"You weren't born yet." He whispered.

"What?"

He sat up and she followed suit. "You- you couldn't have been there. This must've happened 30, 40 years ago.." His eyes widened and he scooted violently off the bed, standing up away from her. "How- what are you?"

She calmly got off the bed, "Your a clever kid, you know that Dipper?" She took a step toward him and he scooted back, bumping into the desk. Without taking his eyes off her, he frantically groped for something on the desk.

"Stay back!" He yelled, whipping out a.. lantern. Really? That was all he had.

She raised a brow, "Relax Dipper. Look, remember how I said I couldn't say anything about the secrets of Gravity Falls?" Dipper looked even more confused and she sighed.

"Me. I'm part of Gravity Fall's secrets." Whether she liked it or not. "Dipper I couldn't tell you because I can't, remember? The deal with Bill-"

"What deal?!" She was right. What did he know about her. "You aren't telling me anything!"

She brushed her hair back agitated, "Because I can't! Okay? I can't. I'm sealed with magic."

"But why? Why did you make a deal with Bill?!" He yelled, and narrowed his eyes, "What's with you and Bill anyways." He clutched the lantern tighter, "Are you working for him?!"

"No! Of course not! Dipper I'm on your side. I hate Cipher just as much as you. Please, you have to trust me."

**_TRUST NO_ _ONE_**

Dipper lowered the lantern, "I- I can't. I don't know. Why all the secrets? What have you been keeping from me?"

She glanced around the room, "I can't say a lot.. Dipper right now I need you to trust me. Please." She looked so sincere but..

"I need you to promise me that you're telling the truth."

"I promise." She said immediately.

"No. No it has to be something serious.." Dipper pulled open one of the desk drawers and fished around for something.

Dana stiffened, "What are you doing."

Dipper pulled out a pocket knife and whipped the small blade out. "What? It's a blood pact. Me and Mabel do it all the time for serious promises we make."

She paled, "No, Dipper I don't think this is a good idea. I'm uh I'm scared of blood."

But it was too late. He pressed the blade down on his thumb, sliding it slowly across his skin, crimson blood blooming from the small cut. Her mouth dried and she swallowed thickly.

"Your turn." He handed her the knife but she didn't take it. "Dana?"

She closed her eyes. Self control, self, control, _self control._

She nodded her head shakily, and grabbed the knife. "Yeah.. yeah okay." Anything to make him trust her. She slid the bloodied knife on her thumb, her own blood seeping out. "What now?"

"We press our thumbs together." They did so.

"You promise you're telling me the truth." Dipper said, staring directly into her eyes.

She breathed in deeply, "I promise."

They pulled away their thumbs. Dipper grabbed a tissue and wrapped it around his cut while Dana stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"Are you going to tell me what you know now?" Dipper asked.

She took her thumb out of her mouth and brushed her hair back. "Not now. Not here. Tomorrow."

Dipper bit his lip, "Ok. Tomorrow." They nodded and Dana walked to the window, opened it, and jumped out. Dipper rushed over, to see Dana already walking away. He watched her retreating figure until she disappeared into woods. Sighing, he flung himself back on his bed.

This is going to be a long night.  

 

 

Dana made sure the Pine family were all asleep when she picked the lock to the gift shop. A _click_ and she was in. Stepping quietly on the wooden floor, she walked into the shop and stopped in front of the vending machine.

With one finger, she punched in numbers on the buttons, but instead of glowing blue, it beeped red. Her brows knitted together, and she tried again but the machine didn't budge. She growled lowly. Shit, of course the old man must've changed the passcode. Though Dipper said the other two journals were lost, she needed to make sure Stan didn't have them.

She had to make sure the portal was still destroyed.

She owed it to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickensssss  
> So this story is now rated M. Or explicit? I have no idea.
> 
> If I had to describe Conner with one song it would be Closer by NIN.  
> As always T4R


	11. Remembrance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter contains disturbing content. I think. idk its a wendigo fic guys. Also, mentions of rape.

1859

 

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth eat your soup."

Her mother said tiredly, tending to the dying fire under the pot. Elizabeth stopped swirling the spoon in the broth and took a tiny sip. It was already cold. She swished the bitter liquid in her mouth, before swallowing it down. Her lips curled up in disgust, and her stomach growled against the food. She was so hungry she felt sick. And now eating anything made her stomach squirm. Her mother sighed, brushing loose strands of hair away from her sunken in face.

"Where is your father?" she muttered to herself. Despite the walls that housed them from the outside, the cold still seeped in, chilling the air and their bones. "Elizabeth, go fetch your brother and get some firewood."

The girl nodded her head, pushing the bowl away gratefully. She hopped off the chair and padded down the short hallway to their room. Her footsteps were light as she approached their door.

Laughter. She heard quiet laughter inside, and with bated breath, she pressed an ear to the door.

Her blood ran cold when she heard a deeper, unfamiliar chuckle sound in the room. Heart beating fast, she stepped away from the door, the floorboards under her creaking loudly. The noises from the room silenced, and she heard the bed creak and footsteps approach the door. It opened partly, and her brother's face came into view.

"Elizabeth?" He breathed out, face flushed. "Is there something you need?"

She opened and closed her mouth. "..Is there, is there someone with you in there?"

He laughed, but she could tell it was forced. "No, of course not."

"But I heard-"

"It must've been your imagination. Just like when you thought the boogeyman was under our bed." He said, smiling cheekily at her.

Her eyes grew wide in fear, and she glanced at the dark corners. "He _was_ there. I saw him."

Jonathan shook his head, "Yes, and you saw elfs in the woods." He glanced over his shoulder, biting his lip, and turned back to her looking apprehensive. "Is there something you wanted?"

She tried to peer through the door into their room but he closed the door more, blocking any view. "Mother needs us to collect more wood for the fire."

Jonathan nodded, closing the door. She waited for a moment before it opened and he stepped out. They walked back down the hall, past their tired mother. Jonathan picked up an axe by the door, and braving the cold, stepped out into the chilly air. Their feet crunched on the snow, leaving a trail of deep footprints. They didn't walk long. Going to the place their father left a previous fallen tree, he got to work.

She stood, watching him swing the axe down on the cut tree. He grabbed the thick wood and placed it on the flat trunk and in one clean movement, cut the wood in half. After a while, she grew bored and wandered, looking around. Coming up to a big oak tree, she ran her fingers gently down the rough bark, feeling the grooves and bumps under her cold fingertips.

"Elizabeth." Her brother called, and she turned around to see him looking at her. He raised the axe, "You want to try?"

She looked at the axe, then to her brother and nodded her head, a small smile on her lips. She half-ran, half-jogged to him and took the weapon. Gripping it tightly, she bit her lip and raised it above her head, and swung it down. It lodged into the middle of the wood, but when she tried to pull it back, the axe was stuck. Scrunching her face, she raised it along with the wood, and swung it down, but it did nothing.

Placing her foot on the wood, she held it down while she pulled the axe, and it came free, but the momentum pulled her back, making her fall into the snow.

Jonathan laughed, and picked her up, brushing snow from her shoulders and hair. She pouted, rubbing her cold face. "I'll get better."

He shook his head smiling, and plucked the axe from the ground. In one swift swing, he cut the wood in half. "I think that's enough." He said, looking at the litter of clean cut fire wood.

The both of them held all the wood they could in their arms and began home. She shifted her arms, and glanced at the snowy white expanse of trees.

"Jonathan."

"Yes?"

She bit her cracked lips, "Do you think.. do you think we'll have enough food to last us the winter?"

He was quiet, and she looked at him.

His face was unreadable, and when he noticed her looking at him, he gave a smile. "Yes we do. And if we don't, I'll go out and bring you back a large deer, the largest anyone's eaten."

He grinned at her and she smiled back. They continued on in comfortable silence. She was day dreaming about talking deers when her brother stopped abruptly. She did too.

"Jonathan what's wrong?"

But her brother didn't answer, just stared ahead of them. She followed his line of sight to see their small cabin and.. a figure hunched on the ground, dark red staining the perfect white snow. Her brows knitted together. She recognized that coat..

"Father?" she breathed out, taking a step forward.

Beside her, the wood they collected fell as Jonathan rushed forward. He fell to his knees, reaching out for their father. She slowly walked to them, staring at the redness. It felt like someone stole her breath, and it was getting harder to breath as she grew closer to the two. A numbness started to spread through her fingers and into her body.

The man was clutching his sides, breathing hard. When Jonathan crouched down next to him, he gripped the collar of his shirt and stared at his son with wild, urgent eyes. "Take her-" He coughed violently, blood spurting out of his mouth. "Get her inside the house-" He moaned out desperately, fingers shaking.

"What?"

A scream pierced the air. Elizabeth fell down, firewood flying everywhere as she brought up an arm to protect herself but it was useless. The wolf chomped down into her skinny arm, digging into flesh and scraping against bone. She cried out in pain, tears slipping down her cheeks. The pain was unimaginable. Every movement of fang she felt, and it shook it's head, ripping more flesh off and it _crunched_ down-

Jonathan yelled and swung the axe into the side of the animal's neck. It squealed, releasing the torn up piece of meat. Jonathan pulled back the axe just as the wolf leaped away. In a flash, he scooped up his sister, clutching her tightly to his chest, staining his shirt red.

The wolf shook it's head, whimpering and howling. From the trees, emerged two more, both eyeing the two. He stepped back, eyes wide in fear.

"Jonathan!"

He jumped and looked behind him. Their mother stood at the open doorway, and she paled when she saw her daughter. By the second he turned to look back, a wolf had jogged to them and leaped in the air, claws out ready to rip through flesh but before it could reach them it was tackled down.

"Father!" Jonathan shouted as the man held the thrashing animal down.

"Get inside!" The old man ordered. Jonathan hesitated. He had to help. He couldn't leave him. "NOW!"

The look in his father's eyes frightened him and he ran to the open door. Their mother moved aside to let them through and slammed the door shut.

"What are you doing?!" Jonathan yelled, "He's still out there!"

But she ignored him, "Set your sister down on the table."

"HE'S STILL OUT THERE!" he screamed, taking a step forward but she shook her head with a grim face, blocking the door.

He looked at her, and no. No he couldn't believe it. He couldn't- they _couldn't_.

A haunted look came upon his face. They did. He let himself be ushered into the kitchen, and she cleared the table. Gently, he lowered his sister down, trying his hardest not to stare at her arm. Her head lolled to the side, unconscious.

As his mother tended to his sister, he walked to the window. Outside, the wolves, more wolves, were gorging themselves. One tug a limb free and dragged it off, leaving a bloody trail behind.

His mother called out for help, and he left the window. But the image was forever ingrained into his mind.

 

 

By morning, a hollowness had grown inside him. He was sitting beside her, holding her small hand in his. How cold it felt. They managed to stitch a few of what's left of her skin that was flapping around, and the rest... Her arm didn't even look like an arm anymore. It was lumpy, missing a few chunks, and his stomach twisted when he remembered seeing the whiteness of bone.

She was in pain for the whole day and night, screaming and screaming and crying. God he couldn't get it out of his head. Her _screams_. They were unnatural. They shouldn't belong to someone so frail. And all the blood. There was _so much blood_.

He held her hand tighter, resting his head on the bed as tears slipped down his cheeks. He shook his head, "God.. God please.." His shoulders trembled. He screwed his eyes shut. _God please._

He raised his head, looking at her pale face. His chest tightened and more tears slipped down his cheeks. She looked dead. And for a second, for a brief frightening second, he thought she was. But the slow rise and fall of her chest told him she was still alive. Still with him. He couldn't bear the thought. If he lost her, he'd loose himself.

He already lost his father. He couldn't loose her, too. Not her.

He would do anything. _Anything_ to have her open her eyes and smile at him, and she'll be fine- she'll be alright.

"I was supposed to protect you." He said, brushing her cold cheek.

"She doesn't look too good."

Jonathan snapped his head to the side, and when he saw who it was, he fell to his knees.

"Please, please you have to do something. Anything!" He begged.

A smirk, "I don't know. I can't  _do_ much. If it's her time, your begging to the wrong person."

"God?" He asked.

"The Grim Reaper. And I heard she doesn't make any exceptions."

Jonathan stood up, and smashed his lips on the person's. He pulled away breathing heavily, "You can have me. All of me I don't care anymore. Just please, _please_ do something. Heal her! Please, I'll do anything."

The man licked his lips, and a sly grin stretched on his face. "Anything?"

" _Anything_." Jonathan said without hesitation.

The man grinned, "Well if you put it that way... It's real simple kid. You want your sister better, just feed her."

He stepped back, confused. "Feed her?"

The man shrugged, "Hey, food is the essence of life right?"

Jonathan shook his head, "No.. I already have. I fed her soup-"

In a blink of an eye, he was pressed against the wall, the man trapping him between his arms. He leaned in, brushing their noses together. "Not that kind of food. Meat. Give your sister meat and she'll be fine just like that." He said, snapping his fingers in emphasis.

Jonathan controlled his shaky breathing as he felt a hand crawl up his side, "But, we don't have any meat.."

He breathed out when the man stepped away. "Improvise!" The man exclaimed, "Meats everywhere, _if you really want it~_ "

"I don't understand.." Jonathan said. "We don't have any-"

"Come. On. You think the wolves out there ate your dad because he tasted like lettuce?" 

Jonathan's face flushed with anger, but then he paled. No. No he couldn't mean.. He felt his stomach twist, "God... No! Never! How could you even suggest a thing like _that_?!"

The man rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah it goes against your pretty bible worshipping thingy." He swung a shoulder over Jonathan and waved to his sister. "But it's the only way. Believe me kid, give that to her- and yourself, you guys will live forever."

He stepped away from the man, "No..  I can't. I- I don't even know who- who- no, no I can't. I won't!" How could he ever do that?! Even if he tried he couldn't. It was horrible, disgusting, sinful. He _couldn't_.

The man looked indifferent and simply adjusted his eye-patch. "Suit yourself... But remember, those wolves out there? They only did what was natural. They're animals, hungry and desperate to survive. If it's one thing I know about humans, they'll do the **same thing too**."

Jonathan turned away gritting his teeth, "Leave me!" He didn't want to hear anymore. He felt a feather like touch on his neck before it withdrew and he knew he was gone. He collapsed back down onto the chair, reaching for her hand again.

"Elizabeth.." He whispered, tears springing to his eyes again. He won't do it. He couldn't.

 

 

He stared out the window. Where his father's corpse used to be was replaced with a blob of red, staining the white snow. Out in the line of the woods, he could see them, prowling. Waiting. One step outside meant certain death.

His stomach growled. It had been three days now. The soup didn't last them long, and more food was supposed to be brought by their father. Elizabeth had woken up, and cried and cried. His mother tried to lessen the pain with herbs but it didn't work.

She was suffering.

 _She was dying_.

And he was so hungry. He swallowed, trying to soothe his parched throat but it only hurt him more.

He heard his sister's wails coming from the other room.

**_End her_ _suffering._**

He shook the thought away but more came.

_**Save her.** _

His mother rushed into the kitchen, bloody rags in her hands.

~~_**kill** **her** _ ~~

It was either his sister... or his mother.

**_I love_ _you._**

_God forgive me._

 

 

She opened her eyes tiredly. It was dark out, and despite the many layers of blankets heaped on her she couldn't stop shaking. Along with waking up, the pain came back to her full force and she breathed hard. She wished she was still asleep. She didn't feel anything there.

The simple action of rolling her head to the side made her dizzy. She felt bile in her throat but she stopped vomiting days ago. There was nothing _to_ throw up.

She was about to drift off to blissful sleep when someone came in.

"Elizabeth."

She felt her chest warm. Opening her eyes again, she saw her brother. Her thin lips pulled back into a small, weak smile. He smiled back, and rubbed her cheek gently.

"I have something for you."

Gently, ever so gently, he helped her sit up and set down on her lap a plate. She stared at it.

"..What.. is this?" She whispered.

Her brother smiled, but it was off. "I'm sorry if it's raw. There were no more firewood so I couldn't cook it. But please, it eat? It doesn't taste bad."

He ripped a chunk off and held it up to her mouth but she turned away in disgust. "Where.. How?.. Father was bringing.."

"He did. He left it in the house. Please, eat it." He tried again but she refused. It stank. And now that she was waking up fully, she could smell something.. rotten in the air.

"What is that smell?" She asked, scrunching her nose up.

He ignored her, "Elizabeth. Eat it."

She looked at him, and he was no longer smiling. A small, sudden shiver went down her spine and in the back of her head told her something was wrong. Her brother, his eyes.

"Where's mother.." she said weakly, lifting her head up to look around the room.

"She's fine. Now, please.. eat. You need to eat."

It touched her lips and she shook her head. "No.. no where is she? I want her here."

Her brother's eyes flickered, "I said she's fine-"

With as much strength she could muster, she swung one leg over the bed, and then the other. She didn't know what it was but she felt something urging her to go seek her mother.

Jonathan got up, shocked. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth lay back down. You can't walk-"

She got up, swaying on her legs and stumbled forward. Her brother moved aside, making room for her to walk towards the door. "Mother.." she called out. One foot in front of the other.

"Elizabeth, come back to bed." He said calmly behind her, but didn't make any move to stop her. She stumbled out into the hallway, her arm reaching to the wall for support.

"Mother..." she called out again, and her vision started getting hazy. And the smell. It was stronger out here. Putrid. It made her gag. Finally, she reached the kitchen. Her head was dizzy, and she couldn't focus. A step, and she felt something wet on her bare feet. Another step, and she slipped, a yelp escaping her lips. She fell hard on the wooden floor, and the pain in her arm intensified.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she tried to push herself up but she couldn't. She was too weak.

A pair of arms scooped her up and settled her on a chair. Her head lolled to the side, and there on the floor.. Blood. There was blood everywhere. And residing in the pool of blood...

She cried out, her face morphing into horror. Her mother... Her _mother_! The woman laid on the ground, her arm cut off, and a foot missing and and oh God she could see bulgy sacks of _something_ strewn out from underneath her mother's stomach. Her eyes, they were staring at her blankly. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight. A bloody wood axe laid in the puddle.

Jonathan blocked her view and crouched down, brushing strands of hair away from her wet face. He hushed her, comforting her. "It's alright, Elizabeth. It's ok."

Her brother's eyes. They were pink, and she could see black veins spreading down his face. She wrenched her head away, crying.

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth look at me." He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to turn to him.

"You killed her!" She screamed, but it came out as a whimper. He rubbed her cheek smiling.

"Elizabeth, please eat." He once again held a piece of meat to her lips. She clamped her mouth shut.

"We have to eat." He persisted. "It's the only way."

And god he sounded so broken..

"I did this for you."

**I can't loose you.**

"I love you."

She broke down, crying harder.

He held her cheek, "Please Elizabeth. I love you."

No no no this couldn't be happening. She felt sick. Dizzy. Her brain was spinning out of control-

_**Eat** **it.**_

Oh God her mother. Her mother her mother her mother-

**_Eat it._ **

They were outside, howling. So loud.. too loud. All around her house-

_**Do it** **for him.**_

Something slipped between her lips.

"We'll live forever. Together."

 

 

Men, women, children. They all screamed. They all died.

There was no mercy in their eyes. Their prey's begging and pleading fell on deaf ears. The two beasts devoured them all. They bloodied the streets, ate the flesh, and when they were done, they wanted more. They craved more.

It was never enough for them. They'll always be hungry.

Word has gotten around the land of strange beasts lurking in the forests. So strong they could wipe out a whole town, and leave nothing behind.

Tales past down by elders to young children told of a young girl, with dark hair like the night sky and blue, soft eyes. She'll lead you away, they say. To play in the forest or if a man she'll ask for help.

For fair young maidens, they say, a young man will approach them in the dark. Charming he may seem, and he'll lead you away, promising you wishes and love.

But they were far from human.

 

 

1892, Arkansas

 

"No good. Talk with white skin people." Daruka said.

The pale skinned girl smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Do you think I'm bad?" She asked, glancing at the Indian boy.

"No."

Elizabeth smiled at that, and swung her legs over the cliff they were sitting on. She got up, and he followed, swinging back his bow over his shoulder. She peered over the edge to look down at the water below. A grin grew on her face and she backed up. Daruka caught on, and before he could do anything, she leaped off the cliff, screaming all the way down.

"Elizabeth!" Daruka hollered. He waited anxiously, and she did appear, breaking through the water laughing. He grinned down at her and without a second thought, jumped, landing like a missile in the water. He emerged shaking his head from the adrenaline rush.

He ducked under, avoiding a splash of water, and pulled her down under with him. They came up, gasping for air and she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"I really like you." She whispered, holding him closer to her. She didn't know why, she didn't even care. For the first time in years, she felt normal with him. He made her feel good, like all the things she did never happened and she was just a white girl in love with an Indian boy. Her parents would be outraged, and his tribe would shun him but that was alright because in the end, they would have each other.

She ignored the fact they had been stalking this tribe for weeks. Picking them off one by one. The elders are starting to catch on, but she didn't care. What did it matter anymore. Oh yes, she still felt the over-whelming hunger, but with Daruka, she knew everything was going to be alright. She'll change. Just for him.

They pulled away from each other and raced back to shore, which she won, of course. To dry off, they ran through the forest, leaping over rocks, and through grass fields. The sky was darkening when they reached the tribe. They halted by the very edge, so no one could see them, her especially.

But something was wrong.

Men were going off into the woods with torches. Even from here, she could hear women wailing inside. Daruka noticed something wrong too, and took off into the village.

"Daruka!" She called out but he was already gone and she couldn't follow him. Anxiety filled her, and she paced back and forth, running fingers through her messy hair. She stopped when she picked up his scent. He ran back to her, his face wrought with worry.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Atmaja. She gone. Beast took her." He said.

"Atmaja.." His sister. His littler sister. Taken by a beast.. Dread washed over her. She didn't have to put two and two together to know what happened. "Daruka, wait here. Stay in the village. I'll be back with your sister." She said, and before he could respond, she took off. She heard him following her but with her supernatural speed, she left him behind.

She took a deep whiff of air and smelled _him._ Pumping her legs faster, she ran. It would be too dangerous to change into her real form with the tribe's men scouting the woods. Racing through trees, she pin-pointed the location of her brother. She ran faster than she ever had. He couldn't- No she had to get there in time. It wasn't too late. Why? Why _her_? They only went for the men.

With one last burst of energy, she broke through the trees into a small clearing.

She expected blood, torn flesh, limbs everywhere. But there weren't.

That was when she realized that she couldn't smell loads of blood. Only the smell of a thick, musky scent in the air. She blinked and saw him over a girl. Her head rested to the side, and brown, blank eyes stared at her, blood trailing down from the corner of her mouth.

The whole world froze. Her mind went blank.

And she saw red.

" _GET OFF OF HER!"_

Her feet moved on it's own, and she smashed into him, ripping him away from the limp girl. They rolled a few feet away. She got up in a flash, making sure to stand in front of Atjama. Jonathan got up as well, pulling up his pants with a smirk.

"Thought you'd never come." He said, wiping blood away from his mouth where she scratched him.

Her eyes watered, and she didn't know what to do. How could this happen?

"What are you doing?!" She screamed.

He smiled coldly, and her blood boiled.

"I think you're old enough to know by now-"

" _WE_ don't rape them!" Why?! Why why why?!

He chuckled, "It's not rape if they're willing. Look at her." He gestured to the girl on the ground.

Elizabeth glanced behind her, and confusion welled up inside of her. The girl didn't even move. She was alive, but she looked lost, dazed.

"What did you do to her?" She whispered, horrified.

Jonathan held up his bleeding hand. "She bit me. And it must be something in our blood but-" He chuckled bringing his hand up to his mouth and licked it. "But it makes getting prey easier. They're obedient. Willing even."

She shook her head, "No.. no why her? _Why her?_ " 

His eyes darkened, "I think it's only fair I get to have the sister."

Her heart stopped. "What are you talking about?"

His scowled, "I know about  _him_." He marched up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "What is it!? What does he have that I don't?!"

She broke out of his grasp, eyes wide, "What are you-"

" ** _YOU'RE MINE!"_**   He roared, " ** _YOU'RE MY SISTER. NOT HIS._** _"_

She jumped back in fear.

" ** _HE CAN'T HAVE YOU!"_**

Anger replaced fear and she snarled at him. "You can't have me either!"

"I SAVED YOU!" He yelled.

"YOU CURSED US!"

Her outburst left him silent. She was breathing hard, tears slipping down her cheeks. "You cursed us... We're monsters." Her voice cracked, "I can't live like this anymore. I don't- I don't want to eat people anymore. I feel.. so guilty. Their faces.. their screams.. We're damned."

_God forgive me._

How they had strayed from the path.

And when she looked at him, the brother she knew, he wasn't there. Cold, hard, yellow eyes stared back at her. It eyed the girl behind her.

" **We.. are not damned.. it is a blessing.."**

She tensed as it took a step forward, saliva dripping down it's chin.

**"Eat with me.. forget.. quell your hunger..."**

"No." She said, blocking it's path, but her stomach growled. eateateateat

It's sickly yellow eyes flashed, and it grinned hideously.

**"Then move aside.."**

It took another giant step forward but she didn't budge.

It stared at her, **"Then so be it.."**

It swiped at her, and she dodged it and morphed into her true form.

"Elizabeth!" A voice screamed her name, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Daruka. He stared at her wide-eyed, and then to his sister on the ground.

" **No-"** It moaned out as it saw the look on the Indian boy's face. More men with torches emerged from the trees behind the boy, and raised their bows. Arrows flew at them, piercing their bodies. The beast beside it roared and charged at the men and their bows and fire. Fire.

Too much fire.

It watched as the other beast grabbed a man and ripped him in half, blood spattering everywhere. Screams filled the night air, and the monster ran away from them. Ran away deeper into the forest.

The men managed to fend off the creature, waving their fire around for it was the only thing that could kill them. A boy collapsed in front of his sister.

A monster ran, and ran.

 

 

1934, Colorado

 

Everyday was agony. It was a constant struggle. She held herself back from eating, ate other things. Normal things. But it wasn't was she wanted. Needed. She would wait and wait until she snapped and relieved her hunger. The next day she would cry. It was a violent cycle that she couldn't stop.

She tried isolation herself, deep in the woods but the beast ran all the way to the nearest town and ate.

She laid in what used to be a bear's cave and cried. She wanted to stop. She couldn't do it anymore.

She wanted to die.

"Hey kid! Why so down?"

Her eyes snapped open and she scrambled to her feet. She stood, eyes wide gaping at a floating pyramid? Shocked, she blinked a few times and realized she wasn't hallucinating.

The _thing_ smiled at her? She couldn't tell, but it's one singular eye crinkled up and she felt he was enjoying himself.

"What- what are you..?"

He stuck out one skinny, black hand. "Name's Bill Cipher, kid."

She stared at the hand bewildered, and slowly shook it. "Elizabeth."

The thing pulled his hand back, waving it. "Aw I know who you are! I know everyone!"

Her lips parted in confusion. What was going on?

The pyramid continued, twirling it's black cane, "I so happened to be passing by when I saw you crying, and I thought, hey! Maybe I should see what's wrong. A pretty young girl crying always touches my caring heart."

"What are you?" She breathed out.

He lit up, his body glowing. "I'm a Dream Demon, toots! Can I call you that? Toots!"

A demon? She stepped back.

Bill noticed her fear and laughed, "You don't have to be afraid of me! Not all demons are nasty, pure evil, black souled creatures! You see, I'm willing to help you out. You got a problem, I can fix that."

She frowned, "You know about my problem."

"Course I do!" He floated down to her, "I'm an all-knowing kind of guy." He said pointing to his single eye. She sighed in relief as he floated away. "You see, I've been watching you for quite a while know. And I get it, it's tough being a malevolent, blood-thirsty monster who is trying to change it's way."

He hovered in the air and gave her a sly look, "So... I have a proposition for you."

She didn't like this. Though this was the first demon she's met, she wasn't stupid. You don't mess with demons. Never.

"I know this place. Lots of magic. Enough for a certain magical creature to feed on as... a replacement sustenance for your  _other_ cravings."

That piqued her interest. "Where is that place?"

The demon wagged his finger, "Not so fast. That's what the proposition is about... well more like a deal. Yeah, a deal. How about a deal?"

A deal? No way.. no making deals with demon meant selling your soul. She wasn't about to give away whatever soul she had left to a demon.

"It's really simple! I tell you where this place is-"

"And?" She cut him off.

"-and you have to work for me. Like an employee!"

She bit her lip. No way was she even considering this. It screamed trouble.

"Toots! You get to have peace, and all you have to do is work for me."

She couldn't be considering this. But.. how long could she go on living like this? She was tired.

".. I just have to work for you?" She asked hesitantly.

Bill glowed even more, "Yup! Real simple, right?"

She nodded her head, "Ok. Ok then I accept."

The demon grinned, and stuck out his hand again. "Shake on it."

She stared at the hand, and something in the back of her mind screamed RUN! But she ignored it.

She clasped his hand with her own and a blue flame erupted from their arms, and spread down to their combined hands.

"Done!" Bill exclaimed giddily. She withdrew her hand back.

"Gravity Falls, Oregon. It's a date." The demon winked and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Waking up from the cold floor, she pushed herself up. What the hell? Was that a dream? Was she dreaming the whole time? She hissed as a burning sensation crawled down the arm she shook with and she pushed up her sleeve.

On her right wrist, a triangle with an eye in the middle glowed blue and faded to a dark black, looking like a tattoo. 

So it wasn't just a dream. The demon was real, and so that meant Gravity Falls was her salvation.

But at what cost?

She emerged from the cave, a small hope building inside her.

What did it matter? She was finally going to find peace. Whatever the demon wants her to do she'll do it.

And anyways... It couldn't be so bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this story is OFFICIALY explicit. Tbh didn't see that one coming. Wanted to give a little backstory to the wendigo siblings. 
> 
> T4R


	12. Rekindle

_Remember your dreams..._

_...your dreams.._

Dipper's eyes fluttered open, and proceeded to squint as sunshine blinded him. He raised his arm, rolling off of the bed. Quickly, he grabbed a simple notebook and flipped it open to a random page. Snatching a random pencil, he gripped it tightly and held it like he was going to write something but..

He groaned. Nothing. At all. Usually he could write the last thing he remembered from his dreams, but now he couldn't. And his head really hurt. Throwing the two materials on the bed, he got up and stretched.

How could that be possible? It's not like he was super good at recalling his dreams, but this was just ridiculous. And the odd thing was that when he tried remembering, an image, a name, anything, it felt like a huge mental brick wall blocked him off. Was Bill messing with his head? The thought frightened him. Bill was a demon sure, and they had their past quarrels, but this was creepy. Dangerous even.

As he walked downstairs to the kitchen, he wondered if the library had any books on demon repellent charms.

He froze by the door way, gaping at the scene before him.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Mabel and Wendy were chanting, pounding the table with their fists. Sitting beside each other, Soos and Dana were gulping down a pinkish, looking Kool-Aid juice with ice cubes, stars, a dinosaur toy? and glitter in it. Stan was staring at the two in disgust. Soos spluttered on his, and Dana looked like she wanted to throw up. She squeezed her eyes shut as the last drop went down her throat and slammed the long glass on the table, Soos finishing seconds afterwards.

Mabel cheered, and Wendy patted Soos' back. "I don't-" He hiccupped, "-feel so good." His face turned green, and he held a hand over his mouth. As fast as a man-child could go, he leaped over the table and rushed to the bathroom.

"Hey! No no no! You're cleaning that up!" Stan yelled, running after him.

Dana's stomach rumbled, and she belched, a dinosaur toy flying out. "You call this a drink?!" She moaned out, wiping her mouth.

Mabel nodded, a big smile on her face, "Yup! It's my Mabel Juice! It's 100% organic."

"I somehow doubt that." Dana mumbled, and spotted Dipper by the doorway. The two stared at each other awkwardly.

"Whoa, weird awkward silence right here." Wendy said, waving her hands.

Dipper scratched the back of his neck, "Uh, hey."

"Hi."

"Oink!" Waddles oinked as Mabel raised him in the air.

"Mabel!" Dipper and Dana said simultaneously, and Dana shoved the pig away. She scooted out of the seat and went to Dipper.

"Um.. so, about last night." She said, looking anywhere but to the boy.

"No, no yeah, right. I uh, let me get changed." He was still in his t-shirt and boxers, and a blush spread across his face.

"I'll be waiting for you outside. And bring the journal!" She said as Dipper zoomed up the stairs and back into his room. Instinctively, he grabbed the same pair of clothes he always wore, but stopped. He couldn't go out with Dana wearing the same clothes as yesterday (and the week before). Usually he wouldn't care what he wore around girls (aside from Wendy) and he didn't care what he wore around Dana. Used to. For some reason, he felt like he had to wear something else.

He sorta-ish cared about what she thought. Or maybe she didn't care at all.

So instead of wearing his usual orange tee, he ruffled through his pack and pulled out a white one, with a pair of jeans. Honestly, he forgot he even packed that. Slipping on his blue vest, he adjusted his signature hat in the mirror, and looked himself over. Not too shabby, if he says so himself.

He glanced at the door nervously, and cautiously made his way to Mabel's side of the room. Ruffling through her pack, he pulled out an un-used cologne bottle. Mabel had brought it along, incase he had a "summer love" thing, or so she liked to put it. And no, no Dana wasn't his.. summer love, but he wanted to smell nice, alright?! Nothing weird about that. Nothing at all.

He sprayed it on him twice, fixed his hat, and ran out of his room. Flying down the stairs, he zoomed past the kitchen and out the door. "I'll be back!" He yelled behind him to anyone that was listening.

Dana was waiting for him by the trees, and he jogged to her. She gave him a small smile when he slowed down next to her and together they walked into the woods.

She sniffed the air, "You smell different."

Dipper flushed, "Oh yeah, it's uh Mabel got a new shampoo and all." He started laughing, and oh no it was _that_ laugh. She looked at him oddly and slapped his arm.

"Relax. I'm not some kind of creature."

Ow, he was really never going to get used to that. "Wait what creature?"

"Wow, you freaked out about that last night."

Oh yeah. That. He glanced at her. She didn't look like a creature, or whatever. But she certainly wasn't human. Was she immortal somehow? Never aging. Could she be a vampire?

A break in the trees, and she walked into sunlight, and other than squinting, she didn't burst into flames. Ok so she wasn't a vampire.

"What.. are you, exactly?" Dipper asked hesitantly.

"Not here. I'll tell you when we get inside the cave. By the way you don't have anything on you with a triangle, or something Bill can get in with?"

He checked himself over and shook his head. "Nope."

"Good."

They walked through the forest again in comfortable silence. The trek was still long, and by the time they arrived at the waterfall, his legs ached. The dove through the water, and walked down the long tunnel to the cave. Inside, he sat down on the mattress as she got water from the fridge. Tossing him a bottle, she plopped down across from him.

"Read this." She said, placing a book between.

He placed the bottle down, and read the title aloud. "Hypnopedia. A Guide to Sleep-Learning." He flipped the book open to the first page, and noticed a library slot glued to the page. "Is this a library book?"

"Yes."

"Did you check this out?"

"No.. Aw come on she won't even know it's gone." Dana defended, seeing the look on his face.

"That's stealing!" Dipper said.

"It's for a good purpose."

"It's still stealing."

"Fine! I'll return it later. Now can you just read it."

Dipper pouted at her and flipped to the introduction page.

"Hypnopedia, also known as sleep-teaching or sleep-learning. It is a process to convey information to a sleeping person by playing a sound recording to the subject. In 1927 Alois Benjamin Saliger invented the Psycho-Phone for sleep learning: "It has been proven that natural sleep is identical with hypnotic sleep and that during natural sleep the unconscious mind is most receptive to suggestions."

_Suggestions?_

"You think Bill is doing this to me?" Dipper asked, placing his fingers on a drawing of the human brain.

"Think? I know he is." She said bitterly. "Hand me the journal."

He pulled it out of his vest and gave it to her. She opened it, flipping through pages and settled on the demon page. She stared at the blood splatters that covered what the rest of the page had to say.

"Dipper, I'm going to have to go inside your head."

"What?"

She got up and walked to a bookcase. "I'm going inside your mind. To get rid of whatever Bill is feeding you I have to kill it from the source, which would be in your sub-conscious."

The boy laughed nervously, "Is that _really_ necessary..?"

She pulled out a dusty book and raised a brow at him, "I'm not gonna go looking at anything else if that's what you're afraid of."

"No I know, it's just.." How could he put it. "It's weird." Having someone in your head. Dipper didn't have a lot to hide, well he had a lot of embarrassing stuff. But aside from that, he didn't know. It was just weird. Like an invasion of your inner most sanctum.

_Like he did to Grunkle Stan?_

But that was different. He had to save his Grunkle from a _demon_. And yes maybe he did abuse that power. A little bit. But everything turned out all right in the end. She sat back down, brushing dust off the cover of the book.

"What is that?" Dipper asked curiously, and his eyes widened in shock. In her hands was an old, beaten down journal, a familiar six-fingered golden hand on the cover, and a bold number 4 in the middle of the hand.

"Is that.. Journal 4?" Dipper breathed out. He couldn't believe it. _Another_ journal?

"Yes. Despite what he claims, Cipher isn't omniscient." She opened the journal, and automatically turned to a page. What, she memorized the journal.

It was like walking into a candy store. Dipper wanted to see all the pages, soak it all in.

She skimmed the page, and nodded her head. "Ok, I think I remember how to do this."

"You've done this before?" Dipper asked confused.

"Yeah. For the author. You're not the only one Cipher wanted to control." She set the journal down beside number 3 and cracked her knuckles. "Alright. I need you to lie back for me."

"You sure this is a good idea." His stomach was doing flips.

"You want a demon mind-controlling you?" She deadpanned.

"Eh, he already took over my body once-"

"Dipper, shut up and lie down."

He did so as she got up and collected the materials for the ritual. Placing candle sticks around them, she lit them all. Sitting beside him, she turned back the alarm to ring after 20 minutes or so.

"What's that for?" Dipper asked, looking at the timer.

"It's for you to wake up. When I'm inside your mind, I can't wake up myself. The person going into the subjects mind is put in a coma-like sleep. I need the subject to wake up first, which will kick me out of your head."

"Oh.. So even if you destroy whatever, weird mind-controlling thingy in my head, can't Bill just send me more in my sleep?"

"That's the hard part. The author read a lot about demons, and ancient beliefs, like charms and wards. I'm going to try to place a protection ward around your mind, so that no matter how much Cipher tries, he'll never get inside. Unless, you summon him and give him consent but I think that won't happen."

She laid down next to him and set the alarm between their heads. "Alright, you ready?"

"Wait, um what about me? Will I be in there with you?"

"No, you'll just be asleep."

She took of his hat and placed her hand on the side of his head. "Just close your eyes."

He did, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. He knew she wouldn't invade his privacy but... still.

" _Fidentus omnium. Magister mentium. Magnesium ad hominem. Magnum opus. Haebeas corpus. Inceptus Nolanus overrates. Magister mentium. Magister mentium! Magister mentium!"_

Despite the hole in the ceiling allowing light into the cave, it grew dark, and a blue light glowed in the dark where they lay. Dipper's eyes snapped open, and rolled to the back of his head until it glowed blue.

Her eyes started to glow blue as well, and she felt herself slipping away, getting sucked in by an invisible force. Instead of fighting it, she let herself go. 

 

 

Cawing.

She opened her eyes, and found herself laying on sand. Picking herself up, she brushed it off her. From up above, a seagull cawed over her and she looked up at it. It circled around her a few times before flying off. She followed it with her eyes, turning around to see it go off in the distance. A cool breeze blew against her face, and she smelled something she's hasn't smelled in a long time.

Salt. Sea salt.

Before her was the ocean. Small waves rolled onto land, and she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of it.

 _California_. She forgot Dipper lived in the golden state.

She was sort of disappointed that this wasn't the real thing. The vibrant colors of life were muted, almost grey-ish, and everything moved slower than normal. She stared at the sea a bit longer, before turning around and spotting a single house in the distance.

It was eerie, walking in someone's mind. Everything was silent. Like no other life was present. Pure isolation. She remembered the other time she went into a Pine's head. She could say that place was more scarier than this. It was almost chaotic in _his_ mind. Bill did a number on him.

She shook the thought away. There was no point in thinking about that now.

She trudged through the warm sand, and up the grassy hill. Surprisingly, a road lay across the modern looking house. She glanced at the street sign, which read Big Dipper St.

She raised a brow at the name, and walked across the gravel road. The house was two stories, and it looked nice. To be honest, she couldn't compare the house with others. She's been stuck in Gravity Falls for a _long_ time.

_So much for salvation._

Walking up to the white door, she didn't bother knocking and just went in. Now inside she could familiarize herself with. It started with long hallways, leading off into different directions, and she followed the one with rotten wood. The more she walked down the long twisting hallway, it opened up, and somehow pine trees started appearing until it turned into an actual forest inside a house.

She did a mental check on her countdown. 18 minutes left. Right she still had time. Now, to make this easier.

"Animum Tenebris." She said, and the whole scenery zoomed forward, rushing past her feet. Being 'friends' with a demon who specializes in the mind comes in handy. Sometimes. 

It stopped abruptly, leaving her in the middle of a wide clearing. A single, wooden door stood in the middle. She walked up to it, and looked down. A floor mat laid on the ground, which read SUBCONSCIOUS. 

Well that was easier than she thought. Knowing Bill, she expected to fight her way through mental barriers or something else. But maybe the demon didn't think anyone would figure out what he was doing to Dipper. Cocky bastard. 

She twisted the knob and flung open the door.

And promptly started to fall. It was like gravity suddenly shifted, and she fell through the door and into darkness. It was like falling into the Bottomless Pitt. It was dark, and there was no wind rushing past her face. She guessed this made sense.

The subconscious was the part of the mind that was unknown. Non-existent. 

It felt like forever, and she did a mental check again on the time. 15 minutes. 

She yelped when her body plunged into water. She sank like a rock to the bottom. What was with this kid and water?! Un-surprisingly, she was able to breath. Walking/floating through the clear liquid, she realized she was in a long tunnel. Despite there being no light source, it was bright enough for her to see everything, and at the end of the tunnel was another door. 

She made her way as fast as someone could in water, and twisted the knob-

The pressure of the water pushed the door open and rushed out, taking her along with it. It swept her along, and left her beached on the ground. Picking herself up, (and surprise surprise she wasn't wet at all) she looked up and saw what she came here for.

A large, sparing and shifting green ball hovered in the middle of the dark room. It was like a pent of electric ball of mass energy. As she grew nearer to it, voices started whispering around her. 

**_ Trust her... _ **

**_ She is your friend... _ **

**_You're lonely.._ **

She sneered at the whispers. Really, was this what Bill had been feeding him. At least this was better than what Bill fed the Author.

_**Innocent...** _

_**Daughter...** _

_**Save her...** _

A pang of guilt hit her. He treated her like his daughter. He trusted her. He wanted to help her.

She closed her eyes and raised her arms.

"N _ec S omnus! Scutum Spiritus sanctus innocens! Custodi impios!"_

A bright blue light exploded in front of the green electric ball, and she stared in shock as Bill appeared.

But how was that possible?! They were inside the cave! Bill couldn't be here!

She held her breath, horror freezing her to the spot. She was dead. Or maybe not dead but holy shit he was going to make her wish she was dead.

But instead of turning red and setting her on fire, Bill hovered where he was.

And then he spoke, "Property of Bill Cipher. Don't touch. That includes you Sheogorath!"

What? "Bill?" She said cautiously. He didn't even blink. Relief washed over her. This wasn't the real Bill. It was a hologram, or some kind of message machine.

"If this is Stan Pines, get out or I'll burn all your money." The fake Bill machine hologram thing roared and turned back to normal. "If this is Shooting Star, I suggest turning around. Wouldn't you like to get more black-mail over your brother?"

"And if this is our sweet Toots, ah ah, don't look so surprised. I knew one way or another you'll try to help the poor kid out because you have, what is it, humanity? Guilt? Morals? Eh, those things. Anyways, if I ever find out you were the one who destroyed this baby behind me, I'll **make you regret it**."

Even though this wasn't the real demon, it still sent shivers down her spine. Alright, enough of this. She focused her mind on the fake Bill, and made him disappear. With the demon gone, she raised her arms again.

"N _ec S omnus! Scutum Spiritus sanctus innocens! Custodi impios!" _She chanted, over and over again. The green electric ball started to pulse, and the whispering voices grew louder, but she didn't stop. 

A lightening spurted from the ball and struck her, but she imagined an invisible force-field around her, protecting her from the attack.

" _-CUSTODI IMPIOS!"_ A blast blew her back, and the green ball inflated and a black hole started sucking the thing inside, including her. She quickly imagined her hand morphed into the floor, just in time as her body flew upwards, the black hole pulling her in. Pieces of the ground cracked, and chunks broke off, flying into the black hole. The ground she was morphed to started to crack.

_ Oh shit. _

The ground ripped off, wrenching her arm back and taking her with it. At the same time, the black hole vanished just as she flew right through it and landed on her back with a loud SMACK! She groaned in pain, taking back her hand from the piece of rock. Ouch, ok the first time went better than this. 

She got up, rolling her aching shoulder. Where the green energy ball used to be left a crater in the ground. Gone. She rubbed her face in relief. Never again. She was never doing this again. Now that her mission was complete, she turned to the new problem now. Bill will obviously find out that someone destroyed the brain-washing thing in Dipper's head. He'll suspect her, for sure. 

She bit her lip. So she'll just have to make it seem like The Royal Order did it. They found out about it, and with the help of Stan destroyed the thing. And placed a ward in the boy's head. It was pathetic, but it's all she had to go on. She was still on Bill's side, or that's what she's been showing. Hopefully, he'll believe her story. But just in case, she'll have to make sure this memory is wiped away. She could pay the Society of the Blind Eye a visit. Or.. you know just steal the device. 

Ok. Now what? She did a mental check again, but with all the commotion and almost getting sucked into a black hole to another dimension, she could say she had a reason to loose track of time. But if she had to give an estimate guess, she probably had 5 or 6 minutes.

Standing in the destroyed room, she looked around.

...

This was boring. A sudden thought popped into her head, and she bit her lip. She couldn't. But she wanted to see.. she wanted to know..

"Jupiter." She said, and once again, the scenery changed, zooming past her until it stopped abruptly. She stood before a white door, breathed in, and opened it.

She stepped into a white, spacious hallway. There were two white doors on the side, and a door at the end, totaling to three doors. She didn't know which one to pick, so she chose the left one. Creaking it open halfway, she saw two kids by what looked like a school playground. Her eyes widened when she realized she was looking at a young Dipper. Young Dipper held out a flower to a blonde girl. But instead of taking it, she ran away.

Ouch. The kid looked like a kicked puppy. She closed the door and turned to the one across from her.

When she opened that door, she laughed as she watched an unrealistically tall Dipper waltz with Wendy, Soos playing a trumpet in the background. She closed the door, shaking her head grinning.

Her grin faded away when she approached the last door. She destroyed Bill's influence thing. Whatever was behind this door, it would be from Dipper, and him alone. Slowly, she turned the knob and the door swung open.

It was them, on the ferris wheel. Dipper was looking at her, and she was looking at the moon. His eyes flickered to her hand, and she watched him slowly wrap his hand around hers.

He really did like her.

She didn't have time to process the new revelation when she felt a sudden, harsh pull. It shifted her back, and she steadied herself. Another pull, but this she flew back, and back and back through hallways, out of the house and into the sky over the ocean.

 

 

Dipper woke with a start. The loud ringing of the timer stopped, and Dana gasped awake next time him. He rolled off the mattress and got up, backing away from her.

She too got up, "Dipper?"

"Who are you! How- how do you know so much about me, Gravity Falls- every- _everything_?!" It felt like a shroud had been lifted off his eyes, and he could finally see, think clearly. And the girl before him.. he didn't truly know who she was. Her story, it all didn't fit into place. There were so many holes, and he had a feeling she wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"And what about the portal huh?! That was the very first thing you told me. What is it really? Why did the Author of the journals built that machine. And- and talking about the Author _who_ is he?!" Dipper couldn't stop. There were so many questions left unanswered. "You told me you were going to help me solve the mysteries of Gravity Falls! But all you've been doing- all we've been doing-" Nothing. They've been doing absolutely nothing. Dipper was so focused on his new friend that he lost sight on what he was supposed to be doing.

"Can I even trust you?" He whispered. Tears brimmed in his eyes. It hurt. He thought, for once in his life, he had a _friend_. A true friend.

Something landed on his head, and he looked up to see Dana standing close to him, pulling her hand away from placing his hat back on his head. She was looking down, away from his eyes.

".. Dipper.." She looked at him, "I'm sorry."

How could two small simple words mean so much.

She bowed her head, a tear slipping down her cheek and dripped down on the floor.

His arms moved with their own accord. He pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her and held her tight. He felt her hold him back, resting her forehead on his shoulder.

And she wondered how a simple hug made her feel better. 

It was like something cracked inside her and all those years of pain, despair, and loneliness washed out of her like a river.

She sobbed, holding on to his shirt and she couldn't stop.

They sank to the ground, Elizabeth pulling her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth crying.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry.."

Dipper didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. So he stayed silent.

He held her until her cries softened. She wiped her wet face, and breathed in shakily.

"Dipper?"

He looked at her.

"Do you hate me now?" 

His lips parted, and he looked down. "No.. I don't think I could ever hate you. You're my friend. I.. I really like you."

She sniffed and looked him with sad, searching eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, she wrapped her hand around his.

"I really like you, too."

Dipper gazed at their entwined fingers, and he looked at her, a small smile on his lips.

And for the first time in a long time, she felt warm inside.

 

 

They arrived back at the shack by late evening.

Dana stopped and let go of his hand. She glanced at the shack, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Dipper felt disheartened by her words. He didn't want her to leave. "Why don't.. why don't you come in? I mean, we can order pizza and, just.. watch tv."

She looked at him, glanced back at the forest, and smiled. "Ok."

He didn't bother hiding his pleased smile, and they started up the small hill. Half-way, she took his hand in hers.

"I think tonights Duck-tective." He said, opening the door for her.

She shook her head frowning, "I was wondering about that. A duck. Why in the world is it a detective?"

"I think that's a mystery we'll never find out." 

The door swung shut behind them, just as the sun touched the very tips of the tall trees.

 

"Oh and Dipper? Remind me tomorrow of what I did today."

 

 

_Somewhere in Idaho..._

A large, grotesque figure stood at the edge of a cliff, the moon big and bright in the night sky. It changed, bones cracking and shifting.

Conner took a bit out of the cougar's head, and flung it behind him.

Licking his lips, he pulled out an old, crinkled map. He circled a bloody finger around Oregon, leaving a bloody circle. He stuffed the map into his pocket, and pulled out a smaller paper.

Unfolding it, he held up an advertisement poster, a picture of an old, falling apart shack and an old man wearing a fez standing in front of it. In bold letters it read:

**MYSTERY SHACK!**

The only place in the world that will

show you wonders and mysteries beyond

your most wildest of dreams!

VISIT TODAY!

no refunds

The teen grinned, and his eyes flashed yellow.

_**Elizabeth..** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now I added angst and hurt/comfort to my tags. THEY WILL FOREVER BE CHANGING!  
> I think this song perfectly describes Dipper and Dana's friendship/relationship.  
> Katie Sky - Monsters
> 
> And for all dubstep lovers:
> 
> Katie Sky- Monsters (Alex S Remix)
> 
> In all seriousness, thank you guys for reading. :)


	13. Wendigo

"Oh my glob it's like an awesome secret evil lair hideout!" Mabel exclaimed, squashing her cheeks together in fascination. She took off to a random part of the cave.

"Braces, don't touch anything." Dana called after her, right when the girl accidently knocked over a random vase.

"Hehe, whoops.."

Dana closed her eyes, groaning in the inside. "I hated that vase anyways." She mumbled.

She and Dipper sat on the mattress, setting down their own respective journals. While Mabel explored the cave, Dipper looked through the fourth journal excitedly.

"Moving trees.." He read aloud, "Pinned ribbons to distinguish between the supernatural ones and the normal ones. Marked the ground next to the tagged trees to tell how fast or slow they can move. The day after I returned, all tagged trees have somehow moved three miles from their original location. They do not move while in the presence of another being. They must have some form of sentience since when I tried recording them without my presence they still do not move. So far, no visual or recorded evidence. I found they have similar cousins in the desert, moving yuccas. Note: They don't like being watched."

While he was reading out loud, Dana got up and came back with a small, tin box. It was a dull, yellowish color, and had a 60's design to it. On the cover it read: collect almost everything under the sun. STUFF BOX ~ valuable things n' any things ~.

She popped the lid open, and turned it over, dumping out polaroid pictures. She smoothed the pile out and handed Dipper one of a tree, a small red ribbons nailed onto the trunk. Dipper took it wide eyed.

"Is this..?" He trailed off, looking at the other pictures.

"Yeah, they all contain pictures from journal 1-3, and 4. The Author didn't want to leave all his work in the journals, so he trusted me in keeping the pictures."

Dipper plucked the one with what looked like a small fairy barfing. He set it down and turned the page.

"Unknown slender creature. I noticed it's presence one day out in the woods, and has been stalking me for two weeks. I suspect it is another demon, like Bill. Dresses snappy, too. Notable features, or lack their off, is that it has no face. Very tall, almost as high as the trees, and long limbs. Hasn't approached me or said anything. Contact with the thing results in making it disappear."

A break in the paragraph, and drawn underneath was a messy scratched circle with an x crossed over it. 

Dipper continued, "Causes vivid hallucinations. Probably releases some kind of hallucinogenic drug in the air or something else? Children around and under prepubescent age have been disappearing. Is this some how connected to this slender thing? By far, from all the creatures I've encountered here this one is surely the most dangerous. I cannot describe it, but I feel whatever this thing is, it is sinister. It has taken a special interest with one of my younger colleagues. I fear for her safety."

"Miraculously, it has left. Gone to wherever it went to. I can say I can breath easier now. Note: Evil, mysterious creature. Causes major paranoia."

Dana handed him a picture. It was blurry, as if the person who took it was moving around too much. It was just a picture of trees at night. Squinting, he spotted something between the long trees. He couldn't really see it's face, but he could make out the figure of whatever the thing was.

"What is that thing?" Dipper asked, handing the picture back to her.

She shrugged, "I don't know, a demon stalker. It liked little kids though. It was starting to bother me, and I asked Bill to talk to it, and it left. Never saw it again." She set the picture aside. "C'mon, turn the page."

He did and blushed. One the page was a sketching of a finely shaped woman. A naked woman. "Uh.." He coughed, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Nymphs, or faerie type creatures.  ~~Friendly, peaceful~~ , lovely women. Prefers to 'prance' around naked. No problem about that at all. Can shape shift into different plants."

It continued on the bottom, "NOT FRIENDLY OR PEACEFUL AT ALL. Wicked evil things tried to kidnap me! Note: Always listen to your colleagues when she tells you beautiful women are evil."

"He got that right." Dana huffed. "I knew those girls were trouble. Didn't trust them for a second." She turned to Dipper and with all seriousness said, "Never trust naked people. Ever."

"Note taken." Dipper muttered, looking at the picture of a group of naked women lounging by a pond in the forest.

They continued on, Dipper reading each page, and Dana handing him the pictures of each creature written on the page. Mabel joined them a little while afterwards she got done touching everything in the cave.

"Ew what are these things?" Mabel held up a picture of three, large, floating eyeballs in the dark.

"Floating Eyeballs." Dipper answered, remembering seeing those things in journal 3.

Dana nodded, "Yeah. Aw man you guys have to try pepper spraying them. It's hilarious." She snickered at the memory.

"Wendigo." Dipper said out loud, "A demonic creature able to transform into a human at any time of will. Never aging beings, they are extremely strong and has a fast regenerative healing ability. Like werewolves, they are affected by the moon for unknown reasons. This creature is typically associated with cannibalism, gluttony, greed, and pride. From close sources, it is said that to become a Wendigo, you have to consume the flesh of another human being, be it under survival or insanity."

"The subject wishes to be left anonymous for personal reasons. From the subjects information, Wendigo's are _always_ hungry (gluttony). It is tested that no matter how much they consume, even after 50 pizzas the subject was still starving. Was it fast metabolism or magic? They are never satisfied. Long periods of forced withdrawal from eating human flesh breaks their mentality down. Notably, subject says this town gives them another feeding source, from what is unknown, but subject does not require human flesh here."

"Interestingly, Wendigo blood, upon consumption, has effects similar to MDMA. I have tried it, and with the help of my colleagues, recorded the experience, since afterwards it is proven to cause memory loss. I do remember it vaguely. Like a feeling of high euphoria combined with an intense psychedelic effect. From my teammates, they informed me that under the influence, I had lost all touch with reality. Anything they ordered me, I did.. even swim naked in the lake during winter."

"I believe the consumption of human flesh casts a curse on them, no matter the reason, survival or insanity. So far, I haven't found anything to break that curse. I have done experiments, with the consent of the subject but all has failed. Experiment of tying said subject to a tree by the border of the town has failed. Upon stepping across an invisible line, said subject lost control and has tried to attack me. But when entering back into the town's border, subject regained control. It is beginning to seem that this curse cannot be lifted but I won't stop. There must be a way. There _has_ to be a way."

"Note: Despite their invulnerability to many things, fire and pure steel dipped in holy water leaves lasting and serious injuries."

On the side of the page, was a drawing of a hideous, malnourished beast with sunken in eyes, deer antlers protruding from it's head with animal like bent legs and hooves as feet.

"What happened to him?" Dipper asked, lightly touching the drawing.

"Who?"

"The Wendigo. Is he still here?"

Dana stared at the drawing, "No. He left a long time ago."

"Why? It says that he can't leave or else.."

"I guess he got sick of feeling trapped in this town." She said, tearing her eyes away from the page.

"Hey, this is you!" Mabel exclaimed, holding up a picture.

"What?" Dana reached out to grab it but Dipper got it first. They all crowded around him, looking at the picture.

"Ugh.. I forgot that was in there.." Dana grumbled, sitting back down.

Dipper looked at the picture, then to her and back. Other than the picture Dana having short hair, she looked exactly the same. In the photo, she looked surprised, as if someone caught her off guard.

Mabel snatched it back, "So you're a vampire? And if so do you know a boy named Eric?"

Dana took the picture from Mabel and tossed it into the tin box. "No I'm not, and yes I do know him."

"So, are you going to tell me- us what you finally are?" Dipper cut in, looking at her expectantly.

 _That's a million dollar question,_  she thought. "Does _she_ have to be here?" Dana asked, motioning to Mabel.

Dipper crossed his arms, "Of course. We're a team." He turned to Mabel and they did one of their weird twin handshakes

She bit her lip, "Ok, it's not what I am... I'm completely human. I'm just.. sort of cursed. To be immortal, forever." She ended lamely.

"By who, Bill?" Dipper asked.

"Uh yeah, in a way. He didn't really like the fact I was friends with the Author."

"So he made you immortal. Isn't that a good thing?" Mabel piped up.

Dana frowned at her and jabbed a thumb at herself, "It isn't when you're stuck in a _13_ year old body forever!" Ever heard of boobs?

"So how old are you really?" Dipper asked nervously.

"Mmm.. around 60 something. Honestly, I lost track a long time ago."

"Isn't there anyway to break the curse?"

Dana shrugged, "If I knew I would've tried already. It would take a miracle, or a universal wish that could warp time and space."

Dipper snapped his fingers, "The wishing orb! We could use that to lift the curse."

"Dipper, we gave that to Soos remember." Mabel reminded her brother.

The boy instantly deflated, "Oh yeah.. never ending pizza." He still thought that was an acceptable wish for an infinite wishing orb. C'mon, endless _pizza_.

"Maybe McGucket has a solution. We should go ask him." Mabel said, squinting at the drawing on the page.

Dipper lit up again, "That's right! You and McGucket both worked with the Author. I'm sure he'll remember you. And maybe he finally remembers who the Author is too."

The twins got up, but Dana stayed put, an uncomfortable look on her face. "Are you sure? Last time I saw Fiddleford he.. didn't even recognize me."

_...GET AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!..._

"He will. It's been a while since we've seen him and I'm sure he's regained some of his memory back."

"Ok.." Dana mumbled, stuffing back all the photos in the tin box.

The three started their way out of the cave, but Dipper held Dana back, letting Mabel walk far in front so that she couldn't eavesdrop.

"What is it?" Dana asked, confused.

Dipper looked uncertain himself, "Yesterday, you told me to remind you about the whole going into my head to destroy Bill's creepy mind-control thing. Why?"

She blinked at him, a blank look on her face. And then, "Oooh yeah." So that was what Bill was complaining about. "I did a memory wipe on myself. Didn't want Cipher knowing I was the one."

Dipper frowned, "But can't you just make a protection ward for yourself?"

"Can't, it has to be another person."

"I can do it." He offered, but immediately regretted it when an alarmed look came upon her face.

"No!" She blurted out, but controlled herself. "No, I mean the person casting a ward requires extreme knowledge and practice or else it might kill you. It's too dangerous."  

"Oh.." Dipper fell silent, his cheeks tinging pink. "Um... so do you remember what happened after-"

"Yeah." She cut him off, "Let's um.. Can we pretend my whole.. crying thing never happened? I don't normally cry.. in front of people." Looking back on it now it was fucking embarrassing. She didn't like showing people that side of her.

"I just didn't expect you to cry." Dipper said and holy shit this was getting awkward.

Dana sighed, releasing the tension in her chest, "Dipper I reacted that way because.. because I care about you." She brushed her hair back, a habit she did when nervous or agitated. This time nervous. "For a long time, I've felt alone and then I found you and.. I don't know. I like being with you." That was as honest as she was ever going to get.

A thick silence filled the air, and Dipper could feel the tension. It was making him anxious, so he did what any other normal person did to break the tension. Or what came to his mind first.

"Pthewwwww!" He stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry. Dana laughed and punched his arm and just like that all the awkwardness between them disappeared.

 

 

"I thought we were going to get your uncle to drive us." Dana said as they past Stan touring a new gullible crowd of tourists.

Mabel waved her hand, "Nah we're just gonna borrow the keys from Wendy for the golf cart."

"You can drive?" Dana asked incredulously.

"No-" Mabel slung an arm around Dipper, "-but this guy can. You should've seen him drive when we were being chased by the giant gnome monster."

"Mabel, I drove us through a billboard."

"Exactly."

They entered the gift shop to find Wendy behind the counter, but instead of slacking off, two men wearing sharp black suits were talking to. The teen looked annoyed, and when she caught sight of them gave them a 'can you believe these guys' look. The two men turned to where Wendy looked, and Dipper's eyes widened.

Mabel poked his shoulder, "Aren't those the FBI guys Grunkle Stan didn't like?"

Dipper didn't have time to reply since the two men approached them. The old one pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper from his coat pocket, and squinting read aloud, "Dipper Pines? You remember us, don't you kid."

"Uh yeah, back at the.. back at the grand opening."

Of course he did. How could he not? The last time he's seen them they were dragged off by zombies to an unknown fate. Okay well a known fate, getting eaten alive. And looking back on it he should've reported that to the police. Two guys just got (presumably) murdered. But then again who would even believe that? And not to mention the police in Gravity Falls are just plain _terrible_.

Agent Powers kneeled on one knee, probably to appear less intimidating, which failed since his face was set in a permanent bitch face. "Son, I know we've started out on a rough start. But after the.." Powers glanced at the two girls beside him, ".. _incident,_ we are willing to help you out."

Dipper blinked, not believing what he was hearing, "You guys actually believe me?"

Powers placed a hand on his shoulder, "Of course son. After what we saw, you have our full attention. Now, how about a look at that journal you showed us."

"Uh.." His hand twitched up to his vest but stopped.

**TRUST NO ONE**

He couldn't show them the journal. He just felt like it was a bad idea, and he was getting serious bad vibes from them. From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mabel giving him a worried look, and from the other side, Dana giving him a wtf are you doing look.

"Journal? What journal?" Dipper chuckled nervously, lowering his hand back down.

Powers deadpanned, " _The_ journal. We know you have it."

Dipper rocked on his heels, "Oooh that journal, right. Sorry guys, but I lost it. Just vanish. Poof!" He made a small hand explosion gesture.

Powers raised a brow, "You _lost_ it?"

"Gone."

Dipper felt Powers' grip on his shoulder tighten, and the old man's face darkened, but he let go and stood up, fixing his coat. "That's quite unfortunate kid. Here," Powers reached inside his coat and pulled out a government looking card. "You probably lost the first one."

Dipper took it, recognizing the symbol of a hawk looking through a magnifier.

"Give us a call if you ever find that journal."

Yeah. Right. "Will do!" Dipper said with fake enthusiasm.

Powers narrowed his eyes, and looked like he wanted to say something but one glance at Wendy staring at them prevented him. 

"We'll be around."

The man turned on his heels and marched to the exit. Agent Trigger stepped up, "We'll be around." He said, squinting at them suspiciously before following after Powers. Once the door slammed shut, Dipper let out a breath.

"Why do bad guys always say that? _We'll be around._ " Mabel said, mimicking the two agents with her best man voice.

"Hey you okay?" Wendy asked, coming up to them with a concerned look.

"Yeah." Dipper reassured her.

Wendy didn't look convinced but let it slide. "So what did they want anyways? They kept demanding to know where you were (rude by the way). Are you in some kind of trouble?" The teen grinned, "Did you do something illegal without me?"

"No!" Dipper spluttered out, "Wendy can we borrow the keys. We're heading to town to see McGucket."

She dug into her jean pocket and tossed him the keys. "Tell me what happens, kay?"

Dipper nodded and the trio exited the shop, heading to the side of the shack where the cart was usually parked.

"Wendy knows?" Dana asked, frowning.

"Yeah. It's ok though. She's cool about it."

"Who else knows."

Dipper thought about that, "Mmm Wendy, Soos, Grunkle Stan, and of course Mabel. That's pretty much it. But they're all people I can trust."

Dana stared at him solemnly, "Sometimes Dipper, the people you think you can trust the most are really the one's you should be careful of."

The boy gave her a funny look, "Dana it's alright. I know these guys. They're like family."

The three climbed into the cart and Dipper turned on the engine. It was a tight squeeze, and Mabel was squished between the two.

"Seatbelts." Dipper said, and Mabel reached across Dana to pull the belt over the two of them.

Dana stretched to look at Dipper, "And what the hell was that about with those two dudes."

Dipper pulled off grass and onto the road, "Uh.. They showed up one day and I sorta told them about the journal."

"WHY?"

Mabel flinched at the girl's sudden outburst, rubbing her hear.

"Look, I thought they could help me. They looked like legit mystery solvers. I mean, what better ally than government officials, right?"

Dana shook her head, "Dipper if it's one thing the Author would've told you, it would be to _never_ have any contact with any government people. They're bad people, and they'll use this town for their own desires. All they care about is power."

"And they're usually the bad guys in movies!" Mabel commented.

Dipper sighed, "Ok, ok I get it. That was pretty stupid of me. But I thought they were eaten by the zombies."

"Zombies?! You raised the dead?"

"Yeah but it's alright, we defeated them with the power of a three part harmony!" Mabel grinned, "And Soos was the only one who got hurt. No biggie."

Dana brushed her hair back irritated, "It _is_  a big deal. You guy's could've been in serious trouble. A lot of people could've been seriously hurt."

"But it turned out alright in the end." Mabel said optimistically.

"That's not the point. The journals aren't some kind of play things. They're dangerous, and should be treated as such."

The twins fell silent.

"..Does that mean we can't go through any cursed number 13 doors?" Mabel asked.

"Yes!"

It took them 20 minutes to get to town, 5 more for a stop at a gas station convenience store to buy snacks. They entered the junk yard, Dipper slowing the cart to a stop in front of McGucket's place. The three climbed off and walked up to the 'door' which was just a piece of rusted metal from a car.

He knocked, "Fiddleford? It's Dipper and Mabel. We have somebody here for you to meet."

No response.

He knocked again, pushing the door slightly open, "Fiddleford?"

"Butter my knicker-doodles! Company!"

The three jumped in surprise as an old man popped up behind them from out of nowhere, a large silly grin on his face.

"Fiddleford?"

"Here, have a crocodile!" The old man tossed Mabel a small (alive) crocodile and she threw it away yelping.

"Dipper.." Mabel hissed, looking uncertain.

He shook his head, "Fiddleford are you ok?"

The old man was kicking his legs in the air and snapped his head to the boy, "Ok? I've never felt better!" He paused and scratched his head, "Well not like the time the aliens cleaned my body."

_What?_

Dipper frowned, a dreading feeling sinking in his stomach, "Fiddleford. Hey- hey-" He caught the attention of the old man by shoving journal 3 in his face. "Do you remember this? You said you were starting to remember who the Author was."

The old man squinted at it, "Uh.. can't say I recall. Is this some kind of pasta thing you kids read on the inter-web."

"Internet." Dipper corrected, "And it isn't. Fiddleford come on, look at this. Don't you remember the blind eye society thing? Museum? You jumped in front of a ray gun to save us."

McGucket scratched his beard, a look of hard concentration on his face. "Mmm... nope!" He broke out in a grin and started dancing around.

"What.." Dipper lowered the journal.

"Maybe he forgot, again." Mabel said, looking at the old man who started dancing with the small croc.

Dipper shook his head frustrated, "No, no, no! He got hit with the memory wipe over 5 times, and it didn't affect him." He grabbed Dana and pushed her towards the old man. "Fiddleford! You remember her right?"

The old man stopped his dancing and peered at the girl, squinting his eyes. His face came right up to hers. Dana felt herself starting to sweat under McGucket's scrutinizing gaze. A flash of something crossed the old man's face but it disappeared, and he snapped his fingers.

"Ah ha! Cousin Jemaima! I haven't seen you since ya moved to Florida! Oh come here, you." McGucket pulled the girl into a crushing hug. Dana flinched and wrenched herself away, gulping in air.

"I don't think he remembers me." She wheezed out, rubbing her chest.

"What?.." Dipper muttered, watching McGucket hop around a burning barrel, throwing random junk in. "I don't understand, he was fine the last time we saw him.."

Dana came up beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok Dipper. Old men like Fiddleford sometimes loose their memories. They go senile."

He shook his head, "But I don't get it. He was _fine_." He looked at the man, who was once again nothing but the town's crazy old kook.

Dana didn't say anything but pat his shoulder and left to the cart. Dipper gave McGucket one last glance before following after her.

"Dipper." Mabel stopped him.

"What?" He asked glumly. The girl flickered her eyes towards Dana and back.

"Back at the cave, I recognized the drawing."

"What drawing?"

"The drawing of the Wendigo. I've seen it." Mabel used her fingers to pull at the lids of her eyes, making them widen.

Dipper frowned, "But Dana said he left."

"Which is weird because she saw it too. Or no- she wasn't there. You know she just disappeared.."

"Are you saying that she lied?"

They glanced at said girl, who was sitting feet up on the cart. The croc from before slithered up to her and she hissed at it, making it whimper and scamper away into the foliage.

Mabel shook her head, "No. But maybe she doesn't know that he's still here. And if he's still here that means he knows about the Author."

Dipper's eyes widened and his heart sped up, "You're right! Mabel, if we can find this guy he can tell us everything!" Maybe hope was not all lost.

"But how are we going to find him?" Dipper muttered to himself. Hell did they even want to find him? He was a Wendigo after all.

"I can show you the place he appeared. I think I remember where."

It wasn't much but it was a start. Giving a quick farewell to McGucket, they jogged to the cart and Dipper started the engine.

"Lead the way Mabel."

 

 

"Where are we going?"

Instead of driving back to the shack, Dipper veered off road, swerving through trees and over bushes.

Mabel turned to her, "You won't believe it but do you remember Jason's concert?"

"Yeah.. werewolves." Fucking werewolves.

"After we split up, I got trapped between two werewolves, and when I thought I was going TO DIE, the Wendigo from the journal showed up and saved me!"

Dana paled, and blinked her eyes rapidly, "Wait- what-"

"The Wendigo from your journal. He was there that night- Oh take a left here." Dipper swerved the car to the left and if it weren't for the seatbelts Dana and Mabel would've flew off.

Dana opened and closed her mouth, "He was? Are you sure you didn't, I don't know, see something else. Anything else."

Mabel shook her head, "Nope. It was definitely him." She was sure of it. Since he did give her nightmares for days.

"That's not possible.. He left."

"Maybe he changed his mind." Dipper input, dodging a random squirrel on the ground.

"Right through here." Mabel pointed, and they broke through the trees into a familiar clearing. The stage was still there, and red cups and random stuff littered the floor. The porta-potty she and Mabel hid in was on its side, as if something chucked it.

"Why are you guys even looking for him?" Dana asked as Dipper came to a stop.

"He's seen the Author. He _knows_ the Author. If we find him, we'll find out who the Author is." They climbed out of the cart and started towards the stage.

"I don't think that's a good idea. He's not.. friendly. And plus he's a Wendigo. He might eat us. Just for fun."

"He can't be that bad. He saved me.. Is he cute by the way?"

Dana frowned at her, "No. He's not. And you don't know he saved you. Maybe he hates werewolves in general."

"Mabel's right. The journal said he didn't feel the need to eat human flesh. I'm sure he'll help us."

Dana pursed her lips.

"Spread out guys. Look for anything Wendigo suspicious." Dipper said. Mabel went to a corner of the stage while Dipper looked around.

Dana followed him, "How are you guys gonna even find him?"

Dipper picked up a random shoe and tossed it away, "I was sort of hoping you would know. Didn't he tell you his hideout, or a general location where he lived?"

She shook her head, "No he, uh, always came to us. Never the other way around."

"Look!" The two turned to see Mabel holding up a guitar. "Jason left his guitar!" She held it close to her, petting the instrument, "I'll keep it close to my heart." She whispered creepily, stroking the sleek wood.

They frowned at her, and Dana resumed her talk. "What if he doesn't want to be found? He never told me he stayed, and I'm sure that was for a good reason."

They approached the tipped over porta-potty, the door missing and deep scratches marked the sides of it.

"Maybe. But he knows Dana. I need to find him." Dipper said assertively. "He could be the key to solving everything."

"Or he'll eat us."

"That too."

Mabel, with a guitar slung over her shoulder, approached them. "Last time I saw him he was standing.. over there." She walked off, Dipper following and Dana trailing behind. Mabel stopped, and they all crowded around a spot in the grass.

Dipper scrunched his face up, "Is that blood?"

"Yeah, he ripped off a werewolves' arm to save me." She said dreamily.

"Again, maybe he was offended by that particular arm." Dana countered, and crouched down, sticking two fingers into the dark grass. She pulled it back, red dried mud coating her fingers.

She stood up, "Where ever he is, he's long gone by now."

"Well I won't stop until I find him and give him a huge hug!" Mabel declared, raising her fist in the air.

"And I won't stop until he gives me the name of the Author!" Dipper also declared, a determined look on his face.

The twins ran off to the cart. Dana followed, slipping her bloodied fingers into her mouth.

_Well shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS. GUYS. Dipper's hat is on sale at Hot Topic... SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
> 
> T4R :)


	14. Forget Me Not

"No minors."

She flipped the bouncer a fake id. The tattooed man squinted at it, and nodded his head.

"Looks legit. Head on in."

She shook her head. She'll never get over the stupidity of some of these people. Stepping into a dingy, smoke filled room, she made her way to some booths in the far corner. Back here, it was secluded from the rest of the other patrons.

_"...Ain't no god on my streets in the heart of the jungle.. Won't you follow me into the jungle.."_

She leaned her head back on the leathered seat, scratching her nail on the table. A busty waitress came over and leaned on the table, pushing her boobs together. "What'll it be sweet heart."

She recognized the waitress before. A woman named Lucy Lail.

"Crown Royal, on the rocks."

Because of the pathetic excuse of police in this town, some of the bars, including Skull Fracture, served drinks to anyone who got passed the bouncer, regardless of looks. They were just lax on their regulations, and nobody really cared. If you thought this town had some moral in it, then you're mistaken. Everyone was dirty in some way. Even those high respected wealthy families had their secrets. Speaking of wealthy families..

Dana could smell them before she saw them.

Overwhelming perfume filled the smoke filled room, cologne mixed into it as well. Many of the other patrons glanced at the odd couple, but ignored them after. Wasn't their business. The _click clack_ approached her booth, and Mr. and Mrs. Northwest came into view.

"Have a seat." She said bored.

The pristine couple slid into the booth hesitantly. Mrs. Northwest clutched her handbag as if it were a life-line. Lucy came back setting down the drink and turned to the new arrivers.

"And you two?"

Mr. Northwest gulped and relaxed his face to hide the obvious nervousness. "J-just water. For me and my wife."

Lucy nodded and left. They waited in silence until she came back with the drinks and left them alone for good. The two power couple looked so out of place that Dana wanted to laugh, but instead took a sip from her drink. Mrs. Northwest stared at her, looking bothered at the sight. Mr. Northwest fidgeted in his seat, sweat culminating on his perfectly trimmed brows.

Dana stayed silent for a little while more, enjoying watching them squirm. Once they looked like they were going to explode did she speak up, "Bill's getting impatient."

Mr. Northwest stilled at the name of the demon, his hand holding the cup shaking slightly. He swallowed, "I-it's almost complete." He turned to his wife, "Show them Martha." He hissed and the woman scrambled to get her purse open. She pulled out a paper and slid it to her face down. Dana flipped the paper over, glanced at the photograph and handed it back to the woman.

"As you can see it is on it's way to finalization. We just need _more_ time." Mr. Northwest spoke up. "It's not easy building this without drawing attention-"

"Are you saying it's too hard for you Mr. Northwest?" She cut him off, "Because if it is, it's alright. We can just find somebody else to take your place-"

"No!" He blurted out, drawing attention from the other patrons. He lowered his voice, "No we can do this. It'll be done, I assure you."

She crossed her arms, "And the Halonad?"

"I hired some of the most prestigious scientists in all of the world. They are proceeding with configuring the amount of power down into the ring. Their were some _failed_ attempts and we have lost our team director in the explosion but he could easily be replaced." Mr. Northwest chuckled uneasily.

Dana smiled softly, "Everyone can be replaced. Including you two."

Their carefully crafted faces turned into grim ones and Mr. Northwest nodded his head stiffly. "We won't fail."

"Of course you won't." She scooted out of the booth, downing her drink and slamming it on the table, making the couple flinch. "We'll be watching."

And with that left. The two relaxed with the absence of the girl, just as Lucy came around.

"You're paying for that." The waitress said, motioning to the drink.

Mr.Northwest sighed in irritation but got out his wallet.

 

 

"Be free!" Mabel yelled, releasing Gompers the goat from the makeshift rope leash. It stood where it was, blinking dumbly and she had to swat it in the butt for the animal to run off.

Dipper passed by her, huffing as he plucked out twigs from his hair, grumbling about stupid Gremloblins ruining his plan. Mabel caught up to him, smiling, "It's ok Dipper. Maybe next it'll be him."

"Yeah maybe." He mumbled as they entered the shack. To find the Wendigo, they planned on using Gompers as bait, spreading ketchup around the goat to resemble blood. They waited for hours crouched in a bush, and Dipper swore he felt bugs in his pants. After hours of waiting, finally something took notice of the goat. Except it wasn't the Wendigo.

A gremloblin happened to be passing by when it caught sight of the free meal. So Dipper and Mabel spent the rest of the morning trying to fend the beast off but eventually they had to make a run for it. Gompers was completely unaware of the danger it was in, and the twins had to carry the heavy goat as the creature chased them through the forest.

He passed Grunkle Stan watching tv in the living room and headed up stairs to the attic where he flopped on his bed tiredly. Well this sucks. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to find the dude, but he kind of hoped it would be. Gompers wasn't the most handsomest goat in the world but come on, he was slathered with ketchup.

_What if they never find him?_

Dipper shook the thought away. Of course they'll eventually find him, somehow. He just had to work harder.

He heard the door to his bedroom open, "Mabel said you were up here."

He sat up, turning to see Dana step into the room. "Where were you? We waited for you but you never showed up."

She plopped down on his bed, sitting crisscrossed. "Sorry.. something came up. Were you guys successful though?"

Dipper groaned laying back down, "No. I thought Gompers would be enough for a bait but that only attracted a gremloblin."

She snickered, "You had a _goat_ as bait?"

"Yeah, is that bad?"

She shrugged, "Well, yeah. If you want to catch a Wendigo, you gotta use blood. Human blood. It drives them crazy, trust me."

Dipper sat up excited, "Then we have to try it now! C'mon!" He made to jump out of the bed but Dana held him back.

"Whoa, whoa not right now. It'll have to be at night, that's when he's more active."

Dipper glanced at the small clock on the table. 12:40.

"What are we going to do.." Dipper trailed off as Dana got up and started for the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

She stopped, "Oh. I.. there's someone in town I know. He's an old friend of mine. I'll be back as soon as possible." She said quickly, leaving no time for Dipper to say anything before she slammed the door. Old friend? He got up and went after her, taking the stairs two at a time. But when he exited the shack, she was nowhere in sight.

Confused, he walked back inside. He didn't know Dana had any friends. Ok that sounded harsh but she told him herself, she liked isolation. That's why she lived way out there deep in the woods. Old friend..

He rubbed his eyes. Maybe a small nap was all he needed.

"Hey Dipper, Wendy invited us to come along with her friends to hangout at the graveyard." Mabel said, popping her head into the hallway. "Let's go?"

He blinked and nodded his head vigorously. "Yes!" He grinned, his sleepiness evaporating. They ran to the gift shop, and went with Wendy to her friend's beat up van.

"Your girlfriends not coming?" Wendy asked to Dipper.

He cocked his head, "Girlfriend?"

"Dana."

His eyes bulged, a blush spreading across his cheeks, "She's not my girlfriend!"

Wendy laughed, sliding open the door for them, "Sure she's not."

 

 

Dana booked it into the trees, hiding behind a thick trunk just as Dipper burst out of the shack. She stilled, and waited for him to go back inside. Once she made sure he wasn't going to follow her, she walked deeper into the woods.

Dammit. Why did she have to say that? That was so stupid of her but she needed an excuse to get out of there. She knew Dipper and Mabel, well mostly Dipper, wouldn't stop until he found the Wendigo. So she'll have to show him that the Wendigo will be no help at all. Period.

From memory, she traveled through the woods and stopped. Glancing from one tree to the next, she stopped on one and approached it. Knocking her fist against the trunk, she was relieved it came back hollow. Its been a while since she's been back here. Patting the side of the tree, she found a ridge in the bark and pulled it down, revealing a smooth blue glass screen with an outline of a hand.

Their were two ways to enter the bunker. One via the lever at the very top of the tree, (which was ridiculous and she didn't know why Fiddleford even put that in), and the other was a more reasonable way. She placed her hand on the scanner, and it beeped. A blue straight line went down and up, scanning her hand. She stepped back just as the tree started to shake.

If anyone else saw this, they would've thought the ground was sucking the tree up. She waited for it to lower all the way down, and the steps to emerged from the sides of the deep hole. Walking down, she entered the old dusty bunker. Everything looked the same, except with more dust. A heavy feeling weighed on her. She didn't like being here.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if Dipper and his family would have to use this place. If things went downhill, and she failed, then she would make sure his family and Dipper would stay here. It would be the only thing that could protect them when the world falls apart.

She brushed away some of the cobwebs that culminated over time. Plucking a gas mask, she examined the ancient thing. No use for this now. Beside it, the fallout poster was missing. Odd. She remembered that being there the last time she was here. Peering into the water supply, she saw it was filled with caterpillars.

She wandered around the room, checking the canned food supplies. Still there. Weapons? The locker swung open easily. She let out a breath. Everything still in its rightful place. Shotgun, axe, knifes, mace, grenades and loads of TNT. She thought the TNT was a little bit of an over-kill, though. Gently, she picked up a small SMEZ dispenser.

It was the Authors favorite. She clicked the hat open, but no candy came out. Slightly disappointed, she stuffed it into her pocket for safe keepings.

"What.." she muttered confused as she saw the old map of the town left on the ground having been ripped from the wall. The security latch was left open. Had someone been here before? Cautiously, she crawled through the nicely spaced tunnel vent and into the next room.

Stepping over the trigger button on the floor, (seriously Fiddleford over did himself with this room), she poked a spot in the wall. It beeped blue and slid open revealing another scanner. She did the process again, and the secret door opened up, granting her access into the control room.

Stepping inside, a sense of nostalgia hit her. She remembered all the times she's been in here before. Some good memories, mostly bad memories. Taking a sweep of the room, she went to one of the panels that had its screen still working. On the controls, a clipboard was laid forgotten reading: Experiment #210 "The Shape Shifter" Became too DANGEROUS!  Placed in Cryogenic Stasis.

She peered into the monitor. What the.. "What happened to the rest of them?" She said out loud to herself. The other experiments, they were gone. Did they get out somehow? No, that was impossible, Fiddleford made sure nothing could wake up or break out of the ultra-advanced frozen carbonite. They even tried it on her and she couldn't break out of it.

So where did they all go...

Oh no. What if- what if _it_ got out?! Panicking, she switched between cameras, landing open section 4. Her eyes widened in horror. The stasis tube.. it was broken. Ok, ok calm down maybe that wasn't his. Maybe- maybe they changed him to another section. She continued flickering between cameras until she spotted something.

Relief washed over her. Oh thank the universe he was still in there. 

Now he wouldn't catch her by surprise.

Her fingers hovered over the red button, and she wondered again if this was a good idea. But what other choice did she have? And maybe.. maybe he wouldn't attack her on sight..

She pressed the button, powering down the carbonite. Quickly, she went inside the decontamination area and pulled down the switch. Water sprayed on her, followed by powerful waves of air that dried her off. The doors lifted and she jogged to the only occupied container.

She mentally prepared herself. This could turn ugly real quick. Slowing down to a stop in front of the container, she frowned. What the...  _Dipper?_

For a brief second, panic passed through her head. How- when- what?! "Dipper!" She took a step forward just as the frozen carbonite lifted and a scream pierced the air. Dipper was screaming, a horrified expression on his face. "Dipper!" She rushed forward and took the boy in her arms. "Oh my god Dipper what happened?!"

The boy fell quiet. "Dipper-!?"

She coughed, blood sputtering out of her mouth. Looking down, a long, sharp, creamy white appendage punctured her stomach cleanly through. She stumbled away, hissing as the sharp arm slid out of her stomach. Blood gushed out of the hole, and she pressed a hand to it to stop the flow.

"I've waited a long time to do that."

_Oh god no.._

A sharp pain struck the side of her head and she went sprawling to the ground. Groaning, she pushed herself up but a sharp stinger speared right through her throat, holding her down in place. Her eyes bulged and she scratched the ground desperately, blood welling up in her throat.

"I'm going to enjoy this." The Shape Shifter said, twisting his arm, and relishing in the _crack_ of the spinal cord. The girl underneath him let out a choked scream, and she reached behind her, clawing his face. He hissed in pain as one of her sharps claws tore down his eye, green blood oozing out.

She growled and grabbed his arm and dislodged it from her throat. Rolling away, she jumped to her feet, her eyes flashing a dangerous yellow.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!" She roared, her vision turning red. She didn't even wait for an answer. In a flash, the Wendigo charged at the Shape Shifter, smashing him down. The ground cracked under the force and it pressed down harder, wanting to squish the shifter like a bug. The insectoid retaliated by plunging the sharp end of its arm repeatedly into the creatures stomach.

"You- fool!" He grunted out, and changed into the Wendigo itself. With its newly acquired legs, it pushed the other off him. The beast went flying, rolling to a stop on the floor but was on its feet in no time.

**"I'M GOING TO EAT YOU!"**

The two beasts clashed, fangs tearing flesh, red and green blood mixing. The Shape Shifter Wendigo clawed down the side of the other's stomach, leaving ragged gashes behind. In prompt to that, the Wendigo sank its claws into his shoulders and with a grunt, lifted and threw him. He crashed into a container, glass shattering all around him.

He let out shrieks of pain. When he crashed through the tube, he was skewered in the stomach, large shards of glass protruding from his chest. The beast lumbered over to him and gripped his head, lifting him up and throwing him to the ground.

Before the shifter could get up, it struck a hoof on his chest with enough force to crack a skull open. The shifter changed back to its natural form, his body covered with his own blood and hers. The Wendigo raised an arm, claws dripping with blood ready to slice his head off.

"STOP! STOP!" He yelled, "Dipper! Dipper he's fine!"

The beast halted, its hatred filled eyes glaring at the shifter. **"Where did you get HIS DNA!"**

Instead of slicing his head off, she lodged her claws into the sack in his shoulder. The Shifter screamed, pain blurring his vision.

**"TELL ME."**

"The- the brat and his friends came do-" He winced, "-wn here with the journal. I tried to get it but they- tricked me and froze me _again_."

The creatures soulless yellow eyes bore into his own pink ones. After what felt like hours it finally got off him. Dana stumbled away, blinking her eyes rapidly. Anger still clouded her vision, but she was starting to calm down.

**no kill him kill him eat him destroy him**

Her stomach churned and she threw up, blood splattering on the ground. Behind her, the shifter stood up, chuckling. "..I forgot.. how tough you are.."

Both their wounds were healing up. She sucked in breath, wiping her sticky forehead.

**he killed Dipper**

She squeezed her eyes shut. No, no think rationally. He couldn't have. She just saw the boy. It didn't make any sense.

"He came down here?" She breathed out, facing the shifter.

He looked worse than she did. He only nodded, clutching the bulging sack on his shoulder.

Now that made sense. The last of her rage induced state seeped out of her system and she sat down, exhausted. Ow fuck.. she hasn't been in a fight like this for ages. She forgot how much it hurts. The Shifter also sat down and the two just glared at each other but were too tired and beaten up to do anything.

"I hate you." He wheezed.

She cracked a weak smile and grabbed something from her bottom pocket that miraculously survived the fight. A bottle of orange juice landed in front of him.

"I come.. in peace.."

The Shifter stared at the bottle and let out a weak chuckle.

She shifted, wincing as the deep puncture wounds in her stomach started to close. "I remember.. that being your favorite.."

With clawed hands, he picked it up and examined the bottle before twisting open the cap and downing the drink in one go.

"I'm still going to kill you." He said, setting the bottle aside.

She laughed, "I didn't think otherwise.." She glanced around the cave, "What happened to the rest of the experiments?"

The Shifter gave her a look, "I've been stuck down here for years. One has to eat."

"Oh.." Well there goes years of research and studying.

"Before I kill you, I want to know where the nerd is so I can give him a piece of my mind." He said, punching his fist into his hand.

She smiled grimly, "I think you're behind on the news. Let me bring you up to date. He's gone."

"Gone?"

"Gone. Dead, I don't know. All that matters is that he's gone for good and he's not coming back." She spat bitterly.

"Then why're you down here."

She looked at him, "I need a favor."

He threw his giant head back and laughed, the sound of it echoing through out the many tunnels he dug over the years. "You're asking _me_ for a favor? Have the years rotten that brain of yours?"

Maybe. "I know we aren't on good terms-"

"You left me frozen for _years!"_ He yelled, pounding his fist on the ground.

"That, was your own fault. If you hadn't try to eat everyone in town-"

"Oh so you're judging me on eating people!"

"Would you shut up and listen!"

The Shifter scoffed but quieted.

"Now, I need you to do something for me."

"And why should I?"

She brushed her hair back, "Because I have something you want."

One of the Shifter's mandibles twitched, "You're giving me the journal?"

"No. Better. I'm sure you're familiar with a demon named Bill Cipher."

That got the insect's attention. "The triangle?"

"Yeah the Dorito. If you do this thing for me, I'll put in a good word for you."

"And why would I want to work for a demon."

She smiled, "Simple. You get a share of a big, big reward."

The Shifter leaned in intrigued, "Tell me more of this reward"

 

 

"Who's the best match maker in the world? Mabel is!" Mabel exclaimed, pointing two thumbs at herself grinning.

From the living room, Stan looked away from the tv, "Hey kids how was the festival."

"Oh my god Grunkle Stan you won't believe what we did today." Mabel gushed, running over to their uncle.

Dipper glanced out the window, the sun already disappearing behind the trees. "Hey is Dana here?" She said she'd be back as soon as possible.

"Nah haven't seen her." Stan answered in between Mabel's talking.

"Oh.." Dipper couldn't deny he was a little bit disappointed. Walking up the steps and into the attic, he glanced at the clock. 9:38. Maybe she was just busy with her 'old friend'. He took note on to remind himself to ask who exactly that was. And no, no that didn't sound creepy or stalkerish in any way. He was just curious.

Fishing out a book from his bag, he flipped it open to a page he left of on. Time to kill time.

2 hours later he found himself rubbing his eyes. The glow from the lantern made it possible to read the words on the page, but he realized he just finished reading the same sentence for the fifth time. Yawning, he took a sip from a glass of water and shook his head. Concentrate. Stay awake...

"Dipper."

mmm..

"Dipper, wake up."

He felt something nudge his shoulder but he shifted, swatting away whatever it was. Right now, he was by the beach, feeling the cool ocean breeze. Colorful air balloons dotted the sky. He breathed in and walked into the cold waves. He kept walking and walking until it was up to his torso. By now he should stop and start swimming, but he kept on walking.

Weird. Alarm bells started ringing in his head when he couldn't stop himself. Instead of floating, it was like his feet were glued to the sandy bottom floor. Panicked, he sucked in one last breath just as his head went under. He kept on walking, the clear ocean turning dark. His lungs started to burn for air, and he opened his mouth, releasing blurbs of bubbles.

Ow ow ow his lungs were really starting to hurt and he felt his face turning red-

His eyes snapped open and Dana released his nose and mouth. He gasped, gulping in air greedily. Sitting up he rubbed his neck staring at her wide eyed, fully awake now, "What are you doing?!"

"You wouldn't wake up."

"You could've killed me!"

"Eh.."

He let his breathing return to normal as he glanced at the clock. 2:40.

"What are you doing here? It's late.." He whispered rubbing the side of his cheek.

"Don't you wanna catch your Wendigo?"

Oh. "We're doing this now?"

She nodded. For a second, he debated on just going back to sleep but he got out of bed. "Uh.." He glanced at her.

She looked back at him and cocked her head, "What?"

"I gotta change.."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine. I'll be waiting outside."

She left and he quickly changed into his normal clothes. Snatching his lantern he glanced at Mabel's sleeping form. He thought about waking her but decided against it. He'll just tell her how it went in the morning. He snatched his lantern and quietly sneaked out of the shack. Ha, he felt like a teen sneaking out to hang out with friends to go to a party.

He was doing the same thing. Except they were going into the woods. To somehow get a Wendigo. Yeah this was better than going to a party.

He joined up with her and together they entered the dark woods, the only light source coming from his lantern. He couldn't help but feel nervous. Most of the times he's been out here was when it was light and cheery. Now in the dark, a shiver ran down his spine and he swore out of the corner of his eyes he kept seeing something move. Knowing Gravity Falls, there probably was something stalking them.

Unconsciously, he gravitated closer to Dana who seemed not at all troubled with the eeriness of the woods.

"You scared?"

He jumped, startled. "N-no."

She raised a brow, "Then why are you walking so close to me."

He blinked and yeah he was. They were practically shoulder to shoulder. "Oh.." He mumbled embarrassed, making space between them. Dana smiled softly and walked closer to him.

After a while she stopped. "I think we're deep enough."

Dipper glanced at the darkness, and shifted nervously in his feet. "So we got a plan or.. what are you doing?"

Pulling a sharp pocket knife out of her pocket, she rolled up her sleeve and slid it down her arm, bloom blooming and staining her pale arm.

"Dana!" He rushed over to her, shining his lantern on the cut. Oh god it was long.

"Relax. Immortal remember? And plus, where'd you think we were going to get human blood?"

His stomach churned at the sight and he stepped back, "I don't know at a hospital or- or a morgue?"

She rolled her eyes smiling, "Alright stay back. It's been a while, and I don't know if he's still.. a vegetarian."

He nodded, stepping a little ways behind her. From above, dark clouds floated, slowly revealing the moon that shined down on them casting a soft light. Dana lifted her head and stared at the bright moon, transfixed. A few minutes passed standing in silence. Dipper glanced at the trees nervously. Sweat started forming on his brow, and the apprehension was killing him.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

The girl blinked. "What? Sorry- yes it is." She frowned, "Any minute now.."

Again they waited. Dipper shifted on his feet, stuffing his hands into his vest pockets and shivered as a cool night breeze seeped into his clothes.

A rustle.

Dipper froze mid yawn, eyes going wide. Fear shot down his spine, and he suddenly thought, maybe, _maybe_ this was a bad idea. In front of him, Dana tensed shifting into a fighting stance.

A bush, one big enough to hide something large, moved, branches rustling. His heart was beating fast under his chest, his whole body tingling in fear and anticipation.

It was getting louder, and louder. Dana gripped her pocket knife and-

Dipper squealed, jumping a foot in the air as a bunny emerged from the bush. Dana had her knife raised, but lowered it confused.

Holding a hand to his beating heart, his breathing slowed down when he realized that it wasn't a creature from hell ready to tear them apart.

"Ew." Getting a closer look the small furry creature had at least 12 eyes on it's tiny head, and each blinked up at them in stupid innocence.

" _What_?!" Dana yelled, stomping her foot startling both the animal and him. The bunny scampered away, and Dipper watched her stomp around, muttering something to herself. She made a sound of irritation, and in a flash slid the knife across her arm again, this time more deeper. Dipper flinched.

"Dana-"

The girl raised her arm in the air, waving it around. When nothing happened, she growled and brought the knife down again on her arm and Dipper watched in disgust as blood started covering her whole arm. He covered his mouth, bile in the back of his throat. Oh god she wasn't stopping. The blade kept slicing back and forth violently, like slicing a fresh ham.

He couldn't take it anymore. "Stop- stop!" He reached out to grab the arm with the knife but she moved away.

"It doesn't hurt-"

"STOP!" He grabbed the knife and jerked it out of her hand and flung it away.

"What are you doing?!" She hissed, stepping toward it but he got in her way and held her sliced up arm.

"You're _bleeding_." He couldn't tear his eyes away. There was just so much blood and _oh god_ he could see the yellow of fat under the muscle..

Dana fell silent, and slowly moved her arm out of his shaking grasp. She stared at her arm, ".. It doesn't hurt."

She looked at his pale face. He finally tore his eyes away from the sight and nodded.. and promptly ran to a tree and threw up dinner. His whole body shook, and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for it to pass. Dana came up behind him, and started rubbing his back in small circles.

He spat the last of the bile from his mouth and slid down the tree, resting exhausted on the trunk. Dana sat down beside him, hiding her bloodied arm from his view, a guilty look on her face.

"I'm sorry."

He swallowed, his skin clammy. "How does that not hurt?"

She shrugged, ".. When you live long enough.. you kind of forget how to feel it. You get used to it.."

He chuckled weakly, "I don't think I could ever do that. Even if I was immortal."

She laughed, "You'd be surprise by what you'd do when you don't have to worry about dying."

He rolled his head to look at her, "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

"... I.." Her brows scrunched together, "I.. once ransacked the old Dusk 2 Dawn store.."

Dipper laughed out loud, the sickness in his stomach slowly webbing away. "You know the owners are ghosts there."

She nodded, smiling "I know.. Even in death they still won't let me back in."

She glanced at her arm, and held it up to him. "See? It's all better."

Dipper flinched, rearing his head back. He blinked in surprise though when he realized all the cuts were gone, and aside from the dried blood her arm was perfectly healed, no sign of it ever being cut.

He gently touched it with his fingers in wonder, "Whoa.. that works fast."

She let her arm fall back down by her side, and the two just sat there, listening to the natural forest sound during nighttime.

"He's not coming is he."

She bit her lip, "I don't get it.. he was _supposed_ to show up. Wendigo's can't resist the smell of human blood." She said supposed loudly, looking ticked off for some reason.

Disappointment filled him. "It's ok. Maybe Mabel saw something else and mistook it for a Wendigo.."

She stared at the somber boy and stood up. "Come on."

He looked up at her in confusion. She pursed her lips and held out her hand, "Come on I wanna show you something." 

Hesitantly he reached out for her hand but she snatched it and pulled him up as if he weighed nothing and walked off.

"Where are we going?" He asked, catching up to her.

"You'll see." Was all she said.

They walked again through the dark forest, but this time Dipper didn't feel scared. It was actually nice, and plus, he wasn't alone.

He didn't know how much time passed, but eventually they stepped into a small clearing. There was only grass.. and a medium sized pond? It was an odd sight, a randomly placed pool of water out here in the woods. It was fairly large, maybe big enough to fit 6 people, like a Jacuzzi. They walked up to it, and he peered into the dark blue water.

"What are we doing?" He asked, turning back to look at her. His eyes widened, and he made a choking sound, his face turning beet red. "What are you doing?!"

Dana was in the process of taking her shirt off, revealing a simple bra underneath. She flung the article away and got started on her pants. "Dipper relax. You live with your sister in the same room. I'm sure you've seen a bra before.

The memory of the time he was over at Wendy's house and accidently laid on her bra flashed in his mind, and he blushed harder at the memory.

She struggled with her pants, and slipped off her shoes. Dipper averted his eyes, looking anywhere but her.

She strode past him, nudging his arm, "You don't want your clothes getting wet."

He spluttered, "A-are we going swimming?"

"Mhm." She hummed, sitting down by the edge of the pond, slipping her legs in the water.

Dipper stood there, not knowing what to do.

_Aw what the heck_.

Blushing madly he slid off his vest, his shirt going with it. With no protection against the freezing air, goosebumps emerged on his arms. Slowly he reached for his zipper, but stopped and glanced at Dana. "Don't look."

She snickered, but looked away.

Taking a deep breath, he eased off his shorts, leaving him wearing his boxers. He folded his clothes nicely, unlike Dana, and set his shoes on top. Hugging his chest, he padded over to her bare foot, and sat down across from her.

"Can I look now?"

Dipper bit his bottom lip. "..Yes"

She looked at him, smiled lightly at his embarrassment, and kicked her leg, splashing him. He yelped in surprise as cold water made contact with his sensitive skin. Dana laughed, and before Dipper could splash her she dunked under the water. A tug on his legs and he was pulled down under with her. They both came up for air, Dipper gasping and wiping water out of his face.

"Whoo- that's cold, that's cold!" He breathed, moving his arms and legs to pump them up.

"Hey, how long can you hold your breath?"

He turned to her, giving her an offended look. "Are you kidding me? I grew up in California."

She raised a brow, "Then follow me."

She sucked in air and re-submerged, Dipper following suit.

He thought the pond was small in the bottom, but to his surprise, there was only a deep tunnel. The more they swam down, it got darker until he couldn't see what was in front of him. For a brief second he panicked. He couldn't see her anymore, and it was so dark-

A hand grabbed his wrist, and pulled him along, leading him through the darkness. He didn't know how deep they were going but at some part they stopped swimming down but forward and up.

He squinted in the dark, trying to make out the shape of her. Slowly, she started to get easier to see. That was then he noticed that everything was getting lighter. He could finally see the underwater tunnel they were in, thanks to glowing stones that littered the walls of the tunnel. It was beautiful, and he wanted to reach out and touch one but Dana pulled him along.

Just when his lungs were starting to burn, they swam out of the tunnel and into a wider body of water. He looked down and saw sand, with a few oddly looking seaweed swaying on the bottom. Dana poked him and pointed up. Together they swam up.

Dipper broke water and gasped in air, relieving the pressure in his lungs.

"I'm impressed, that was about a minute." Dana said, swimming to shore.

Dipper followed, "Yeah well you should see Mabel. She can hold her breath over two minutes."

They reached shore, which was a small bit of sand and grass beyond. Dipper looked around in wonder. "What is this place?" Like the underwater tunnel, it was like an underground cave, the same small glowing gemstones edged into the rocky ceiling, appearing like stars.

"I don't know. I just found it one day... You're actually the first person I've ever shown this place to." 

They walked over a small grassy hill and he stopped. "Whoa.."

Before them was a land maybe the size of a football field, small blue flowers everywhere.

Dana glanced at him, and smiled at the boy's amazement. Dipper just took it all in. It was beautiful, unlike anything he's ever seen before. It looked magical, like a scene from a fantasy movie.

They walked to the middle of the field of flowers and sat down.

He couldn't help but look around some more. ".. This place is amazing."

Dana smiled softly, plucking the blue flowers and setting them in a pile.

"What are you doing?"

She looked up from her work, "This?"

"Yeah."

"It's.. here let me show you." Carefully her fingers go to work, delicately weaving their short stems together. He watched mesmerized. Her fingers seemed to flow easily, as if they had done this a million times.

"A flower crown?" He asked when he realized what she was doing.

"Yeah.." She smiled softly, "..I haven't done this in forever... I used to do it a lot for my.." She trailed off, a strained look passing her face.

"For your..?"

She looked down, picking at the grass.

"My..." Her brows knitted together, "My brother."

"You have a brother?"

"I had." She ripped clumps of grass from the ground, "He's dead."

Dipper opened and closed his mouth. "I'm sorry."

She brushed her hair back, tearing a strand of grass in two. "Don't be. I don't miss him."

Dipper didn't know how to reply to that, so he didn't. How do someone reply to that? He could practically feel her bad mood radiating off her. He didn't want her mad, so he glanced at the flowers.

"What kind of flower is this?" He asked, changing the subject.

Dana blinked, snapping out of whatever she was thinking about.

"They're called Forget-me-nots." She said. With the last stem connected, gingerly she held it up and placed it on his wet head. "It's said in legend that there was once a boy and a girl walking by a river that flows into the Rhine. The girl saw a lovely flower growing just by the water's edge. The bank of the river was steep and the water swift."

She started on making hers. "The girl wanted the flower, and the boy, being a boy, wanted to impress her. So he went into the river to get it for her, but when he did get the flower, the bush he was holding on to broke and he was swept away into the falls. The last thing he said to her was, "Forget me not." And she never did."

Dana finished her crown and placed it on her head, "My mother told me that story when I was a little girl. She said that if you give the flower to the person you love, he'll never forget you."

Softly, she took his hand in hers. He watched her finger trail feather light on the palm of his hand, tracing his palm lines. His eyes trailed from her fingers to her hands and then her wrists.

He frowned, taking hold of her right wrist. "What happened?" The part of her skin where her veins were was horribly scarred. "Is this a burn scar?" He breathed, rubbing his thumb over the discolored skin.

She drew her hand away, rubbing her wrist, "Yeah.. I got it when I was little. I was playing with a lighter and I didn't know any better."

"That must've hurt."

She laughed, "Yeah, it did. A lot."

She laid down, and he laid beside her. They stared up at the glittering cavern, like stars in the night sky.

She turned to him and brushed his damp hair out of his face. "What is that?"

Dipper, who had his eyes closed enjoying the pleasant touch of someone brushing his hair snapped his eyes open, his cheeks tinging pink.

"I-uh I-it's nothing!" He spluttered, desperately moving his hair back over his forehead.

She pulled away his hands smiling, "No stop, what is it?"

"Oh god.." He dragged his hand down his face, trying to suppress the embarrassment surfacing in his chest. "It's my birthmark.."

She traced the mark with her finger, "It kinda looks like the Big Dipper- oh!" She laughed. "Dipper? That's clever."

Dana smiled cheekily at him as his face heated up. "Shut up, it's cool." He mumbled, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

She snickered and punched his arm. "You wanna see mine?"

He uncrossed his arms and nodded curiously. She smiled and turned her head the other way and held her hair up. Behind her neck, hidden by her hair, was a light brown spot.

"It's nothing cool like yours. Just a blob."

Dipper gently touched the blob and cocked his head, "I think.. it looks like a cloud."

She laughed, letting her hair fall down. "Yeah thanks, that's a nicer way of putting it."

They laid in silence, and Dipper swore he could sleep right then and there. His eyes started to droop. It was pleasant down here, not like a cold cave. And the peculiar smell of the flowers lulled him to unconscious land.

His eyes fluttered open when he felt something trickle down his throat.

Dana pulled her bleeding hand away from his mouth and sat up. She watched the boy's head loll, his pupils blowing into big black circles.

"Sit up." She ordered and he did. He glanced up at the ceiling, his mouth opening wide in awe. She stared at him hard, her hands trembling. She growled and screwed her eyes shut, grinding her teeth together.

  _ **Just a taste...**_

_no_

**_just a little..._ **

_I can't_

~~**_he's helpless_ ** ~~

She snapped her sickly yellow eyes open.

Slowly, she grabbed his arm and brought it to her lips, her mouth opening-

A tear slipped down her cheek and no no no nonono she couldn't. Her grip on his arm left a purplish bruise- _**so pretty on his** **skin**_ \- she let him go and curled her knees to her chest rocking back and forth. Her fingers dug into her skull and pulled at her hair.

"It hurts." She cried, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much Dipper." This wasn't supposed to be happening. She's not supposed to feel this way. But oh she was so, so hungry. Her stomach felt like it was eating her, sucking in her soul. Her nails dragged down her face, leaving bloody lines.

"I'm so **hungry**."

No. Nonono. But oh god he's skin looked so soft.. so easy to peel, like peeling a string of cheese. His chest breathed in and out, and she could almost imagine his heart beating in there and how sweet it would taste- STOP stopstopstop

_**he's all yours** _

In a flash she grabbed his arm and stared at it, her whole body shaking. Saliva pooled in her mouth, and she could practically already taste his flesh-

Swiftly, she dragged her nail down across his arm, red pearls blooming from the cut and it look so nice on his skin. Dipper didn't even flinch. He wasn't even aware of the pain in his arm. She gasped and latched her mouth on the cut, sucking and licking it, resisting the urge to tear flesh.

_stop_

**_more_ **

_no_

His blood was intoxicating. It smelled so sweet.. so different than any others. She grunted and tried to rip her mouth away but she couldn't she couldn't-

Her hand wrapped around her neck and squeezed. It wasn't until she felt her bones grinding when she let go, breathing hard, blood smeared all over her lips.

_What has she done?_

Tears sprung to her eyes as she stared at the cut.

"No.. no I'm sorry- I'm sorry." She whimpered. The boy, finally, realized someone else was there with him and he looked at her with blank, unfocused eyes.

With two shaky fingers, she slid it across the cut and smeared it on his lips. A strained giggle left her lips.

"There. There now he's just like us- me."

_so hungry_

Her mind was buzzing, and oh god oh god she felt like she was going to throw up. NO. No she wasn't like him. She's not like him. He's the evil one. She's a good person. She has to be.

_**look at what you've done** _

"Dipper.."

No she couldn't hurt him. Not him.

Without a second thought, she sank her teeth into her arm, digging into taught meat. With a jerk of her head, she ripped tendons and flesh from her bone, her skin ripping. Tears streamed down her face but she didn't stop. She was so hungry.. she needed human flesh.

_why is this happening?_

Oh no. She knew. Ever since she's met the boy. Stalked him for weeks before Bill even ordered her to manipulate the boy.

_it hurts_

It was never enough. It'll never be enough.

She sobbed, crawling to her only friend and leaned on his chest.

"Hug me." She whispered and he did so. But it was an empty hug, not like the one before.

"I'm a monster.. I'm a monster.." She wished she could tell him everything. But she can't.

He can never know.

So in his drugged state, she confessed every sin, everything and everyone she's wronged. She tells him her name, her real name because after all, that is who she is in the inside. Right?

In the morning, she'll go back to being Dana.

But for tonight, she's Elizabeth.

 

 

He strode past terrified festival-goers, screaming something about the evil air-balloon god. He wasn't so concerned about that.. whatever it was. A particular busty blonde ran past him, and he ogled her ass. Eh, he wasn't going to question it as long as he got to see more girls running. Swear, living in the 21 century was a blessing.

And shirtless dudes just ran past him. For a split second, he was torn between chasing them and heading to his destination.

The image of a sweet young girl smiling at him with adoration in her eyes made him continue.

He honestly couldn't believe his luck.

Seriously, arriving when the Woodstick Festival was in town? It was like someone was watching down on him. He laughed at that.

Now, now where is a fat, scrumptious man baby. He sniffed the air and grinned.

Whistling, he casually made his way to the back of a stage, and there behind was parked a blue van. The back doors were open, and he took that as an invitation.

"Ow- stupid, stupid kids. I move on to music to escape my job, and look where that got me." He heard an angry voice say in the van.

With years of experience, he silently leaned against the opened van door, a smirk plastered on his pale face.

The Love God slapped another Band-Aid (even though he didn't really need one) on a scratch on his arm. He grumbled, a frown on his usually chirpy face, "Never going to let my potions out of my sight again. No borrowing, no stealing, no giving ever again."

"Not even if I suck your dick?"

The God froze and closed his eyes praying to whatever other gods that were listening that he didn't just hear who he thought he heard.

"I'm still here."

The fat man groaned, "Oh _god,_ not you." He turned around to see Conner leaning against the door. "Aw come on. Now this? Can't you bother my brother instead?"

Conner smirked, "I left him bothered, if you know what I mean."

The God groaned again, waving his hands in the air. "Can you for _once_ not think about sex? There's more to life than that."

"I can't help it. It's a hunger of mine~"

"Everything makes you hungry." The God deadpanned, shaking his head. "You and my brother have to understand that Love is what makes sex meaning full. It's the ultimate power!"

Conner rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I think I'll stick to just fucking people raw."

"You and your vulgarity! I forgot why I didn't like you so thanks for reminding me."

"Aw don't be like that. How could you dislike me? Everyone likes me!"

"Except your sister."

Ouch.

**_Burned_ **

Conner's face darkened, his blue eyes seeping yellow but he blinked and grinned. Jumping into the van, he plopped himself on a pink bean bag.

"Really?"

Conner smiled, "Just making myself at home."

The Love God placed his hand on his hips, "What do you want man? I know you're not here to listen to my music."

Yeah it sucks.

"How do you know me so well?" Conner said instead. He didn't want to offend the god anymore than his presence was doing. "It's funny you mentioned my sister because.. that's actually why I'm here."

That got the God's attention.

Conner pointed to the glass bottles, "Just need a little bit of that right there."

The God glowered at him and clutched his potion bottles protectively. "No, no way."

"Aw come on why not?"

"Because! It's your sister. If you want her forgiveness then you're going to have to get it the old fashioned way. And that's by apologizing if you didn't know what that meant!"

Conner moaned, "Nooo that's going to take too long."

"Jonathan! If I remembered correctly you would've done anything to make your little sister happy. Where is that brother?"

The teen's face darkened, "Oh you know, dead."

The Love God shook his head disappointedly, "You want your sister back, you gotta get it the honest way."

"Lame." Conner got up from the bean bag, "Not even a little?"

"No!"

"Fine." He jumped out off the van, "Oh yeah, hey. Next time you see Lust, tell him I haven't been whoring around."

"Like he's ever going to believe that."

Conner grinned, "Worth a shot right?"

The god rolled his eyes and with magic swung the van doors shut. His grin fell, and instead replaced with fury, his eyes bleeding a golden yellow. Fucking shit, if he wasn't a god he would've ripped the fat man limb from limb. Maybe choke him first with his own entrails. Or drown him in his own potions.

Murderous thoughts. Murderous thoughts. Go away, he reminded himself.

Great so now what? It was dark already, which meant this so called Mystery Shack was closed for the night.

But did he really want to go?

It's been so long since he's seen her and they left off on.. unresolved bad terms. Like a century unresolved. Dammit he really hoped he could've gotten his hands on some of those love potions. Shit would've be really easy. Spray some on her food, have her adore him again, and everything will be alright. They can just pick up where they left.

He glanced at the moon in the sky. Maybe he should just walk around town. Make himself familiar with the place. Get his mind off things.

A few hours later, he walked out of a dark alley beside a bar named Skull Crusher, zipping up his fly. That blondie, what was her name? Lucy, lacy, something with an L. Damn was she good with her mouth.

"Come back anytime." Lucy said, coming up beside him fixing her tube top. She popped open a pack and handed him a cig, and lighted it for him. He sucked in the pure nicotine and blew out.

"See ya around blondie." He winked, as she went back to work, the bouncer staring at her and then him. He only just grinned back and walked off into the dark streets. Well that was a fun way to kill time.

He headed in a random direction, not really caring where he was going. It was probably around 3 when he came upon a skate park. Not to his surprise, a group of teenagers were chilling, passing around an of course non-suspicious in any way bottle of alcohol. He quickly inspected his prey- no, no not tonight. He didn't need the police announcing a missing person just as he conveniently shows up in her life again. She'll obviously know he did it.

"Hi!" One of the girls shouted at him and the other girl slapped her arm down, shushing her.

The girl who shushed her friend got up and approached him. Conner looked her up and down as if she were a piece of meat... which to him she actually was. A red head, he liked red heads.

The girl looked up at him, "Hey uh, do you wanna join?"

Well wasn't this girl friendly.

"Sure, why not. I don't have anything better to do." He dropped down the ramp.

"Parents?" The girl asked.

He smirked, "Something like that. I'm Conner by the way."

She smiled at him, "Wendy."

She led him to her group of friends and the made room for the newcomer.

"Right, that's Lee, Nate, Tambry, Robbie, and Thompson. Everyone, this is Conner." Wendy informed.

"What up dude." Lee greeted him, accompanied with other hi's from the other teens.

Nate took a swig from the Gatorade bottle and handed to Conner. Already he could smell the thing was vodka, maybe mixed in with something sweet. He drank and handed it back to the brown skinned teen.

"Dude wicked is that real?" Nate commented, motioning to his right arm.

Conner raised a brow and held up his arm, "Oh this? Yeah, got it a long time ago."

"Oh that's so cool." Wendy said in awe, staring at the sleeve tattoo. "What's it supposed to be?"

He flashed her a smile, "Nine layers of hell. Dante's version."

"Why's the second layer the only one colored?" Lee asked, taking a closer look at the sleeve.

Conner clicked his tongue, "That's the one I'm going to."

"Isn't that Lust?" Robbie spoke up finally from snuggling with the purple haired chick. The rest of his friends looked at the gothic boy. Robbie looked at them, an offended look on his face, "What? I read sometimes."

"You mind if I take a picture of your arm? I wanna post it on my Tumblr."

He winked at her, holding out his arm, "Go ahead."

Beside her, Robbie frowned.

"Cool.." Tambry mumbled, more focused on getting the right lighting.

Lee and Nate got up and started skating around, making Thompson lay on the floor so they could ollie over him. Poor kid looked like he wanted to pee himself. Conner watched them absentmindedly, ignoring the stare he felt coming from the red head girl.

"You know you look so familiar." Wendy said finally, squinting her eyes at him.

"If I do then I was probably in your dreams." Wet dreams, to be exact.

The teen turned red, and scooted next to him staring at him, "No dude I swear you really, really look familiar..."

Conner looked at her, this time really looked at her. Naw she wasn't hammered, not even buzzed he guessed. She bit her lips and pounded her fist gently on the cement floor.

"Mmmm I can't remember right now." She said, slightly frustrated.

Nate came up to them and turned to Conner, "Hey you wanna go? I'm taking a break." The teen held up his skateboard.

Conner raised a brow, "Shit is everyone nice here?"

"Yeah, if you don't count Stan." Wendy said as he grabbed the board.

"Stan?"

"My boss. I work at this place called the Mystery Shack."

Conner had been gliding slowly but stopped at the mention of the name.

"You work there?"

Wendy nodded, "Yeah not the best place but it pays."

"Mm." He hummed. Nate took a seat next to Wendy and they talked while Conner skated to where Lee and Thompson were.

"Hey dude so were you from?" Lee asked, skating slowly around Thompson.

"Just in town for the festival." He lied easily.

"Cool, what's your favorite band?"

"I like the Love God." He grinned.

"Him?" Lee questioned, "Dude I heard he got smashed by that air-balloon."

"Sucks." Conner commented distractedly. There was something in the air..

"Can you do any tricks?"

"What?"

"Tricks, like ollie, nollie, roly-poly shit like that."

"360 pop shuvit."

"Bullshit." Lee said, "Show me."

"k"

Conner skate a little bit away and positioned his feet. Crouching a little low, he sucked in air jumped, bouncing the board on the cement. In that second in the air, just right when he was about to scoop it, a strong, undeniable smell hit him like a speeding bullet. He landed, one foot on the edge of the twisted board and promptly slipped and fell, landing hard on the cement.

_aw fuck..._

He could taste blood in his mouth, and yup, yup he bit off his tongue. His chin felt shattered, and he was pretty sure something was broken.

"Oh shit dude are you okay?!"

He swallowed the piece of organ. It'll regrow back in a second. By the time he picked himself up, everyone had circled around him, all looking at him with freaked out expressions.

"Oh my god your chin.." Wendy said, looking at the very dark purplish black lump on his chin. 

Conner moved around his jaw a little bit, feeling it reconnect and rolled his neck.

"Are you ok?" Thompson spoke up, clearly freaking out.

The blue- eyed teen laughed, "Ha shit. That really hurts. You know what, I'm gonna go to a doctor. Right now." He started walking off.

"Hey what the hell? Where are you going?! You need help!" Lee called after him.

Conner turned around, walking backwards, a dopey smile on his bruised face. "I said I'm going to a doctor." He pointed at Wendy, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Despite the concern for the teen's outrageously hideous injury, the teens all ooh'd at Wendy, who in turn told them all to shut up. By the time they were distracted, Conner ran up the slope and heaved himself up. In record time, he ran to the edge of the woods, his chin and anything broken already fixed up.

He halted by the very edge, and took in a deep breath.

_He knew it._

It didn't matter how long apart they've been. He could always recognize the scent of her blood.

So Bill wasn't lying after all. Of course he had his doubts about the demon, who wouldn't.

_Tomorrow._

He couldn't wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this was a long chap :P  
> songs:  
> Into the Jungle by X Ambassadors  
> Forget Me Not by THE CIVIL WARS  
> Ok so I just wanted to give some insight to Dana's character, really show how kinda-ish fucked up she is haha.   
> Also have you guys ever played Crossy Road? That game... I hate that game. 
> 
> T4R


	15. Do We Say "I Love You?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sensitive topics and sorta BDSM. Just warning.

The night air was cool against his creamy exoskeleton skin, and for the first time in years he breathed in fresh air. It was refreshing from the stale one down in the underground lab. This felt better than drinking orange juice again. Well, almost better.

The brat had already left after telling him where and when she wants him to be. That left him a few hours to kill. He soaked up the sun's warm rays, a thousand thoughts running through his mind. For starters, his mind and body was still processing the fact he was actually outside, in a new different environment. He forgot how nice it was to be outside. Spending a couple of years trapped in a cave wasn't exactly fun.

He honestly didn't believe he was ever going to escape that cold, damp prison. He resigned to a miserable fate.

And then those brats came along. So yes he got a bit, _over-excited._ But it's been years since he's seen any living thing, and copying the shape of a man on a can wasn't really satisfying. And they had the _journal_. Even thinking of it now sent a thrill through his body, his limbs bulging and twisting, memories of each creature's looks popping in his mind.

It was an itch he couldn't scratch.

The nerd thought it was amazing at first when he first discovered that he could shapeshift. There were so many experiments done, tests, examinations. Back then he was allowed to see everything he could ever want to change into. With each figure, he wanted more, more, more until it was the only thing he could think of for days.

Back then he was allowed free access to every room, and even limited time above ground, only with the supervision of someone, which happened to be Dana.

Growing up, he viewed the girl as some sort of caretaker. She was the one that feed him meat, and spent time with him. She was the one who first discovered he could shapeshift when he turned into an exact replica of herself.

Life was simple back then. But that was because he never had a life outside that cave.

His whole world revolved around an underground laboratory meant to inspect, and on occasions, dissect him.

The only person he could relate to down there was Dana. She too, like him went through extensive tests, and questionable experiments. Also the fact they both weren't.. normal comforted him. The two nerds tried talking to him, but he could tell they think they're talking to a subject, and not an actual person with thoughts and feelings. To them he was just another test subject.

He was content living day to day life down there, and was fascinated when they allowed him up above. That was when he learned for the first time how to hunt. Dana told him he was a natural predator. Cunning, smart, and vicious all compacted into a body that can trick anyone. He never thought of himself as a meat enthusiast, but that all changed when he learned of what exactly Dana was.

He snuck into see one of the testing the two nerds were doing one day on her. At first he didn't understand what was going on. Inside thick walls of glass, Dana stood, wires stuck all over her forehead, and two needles were injected on one of her arms. Beside her was placed a rolling metal desk, a beige square computer rested on it with a black screen. A green line came across the middle of the black screen, and it was disturbed by a fast ripple, letting out a beep.

From behind a desk with papers scattered all over it and a cup of coffee, Fiddleford announced, "Commencing experiment _Man Eater._ Trial #58."

A man came up to one of the glass walls, carrying a carton of meat, blood sloshing around inside.

"You ready kiddo?" The man asked, slapping on blue latex gloves.

The girl looked far from ready, but she let out a shaky breath and nodded her head.

The man smiled reassuringly and placed a hand against the clear glass.

"Recording." Fiddleford yawned out, and despite taking a sip of the steaming liquid, it didn't seem to help him. Dark bags hanged under his brown eyes. The inventor hasn't been sleeping well for the past few days.

"Alright!" The man said, clapping his hands together excitedly. He turned to the carton, and plucked a large skinned deer leg dripping with blood. A small rectangle outline was edged into the glass, and he slid it open. It was wide and long enough for the leg to fit. With one steady throw, he chucked the piece of meat into the glass container. It landed with a splat in the middle, coating the white floor red.

The girl didn't even flinch. She stayed perfectly still, unaffected by the presence of the meat.

"Heart: steady. Mind: Normal. No fluctuations in brain signals. Human blood cells still present." Fiddleford read off, adjusting his circular glasses on the ridge of his nose.

The man grinned, "You're doing great so far."

"I always do great this far." Dana countered, running her fingers through her short hair.

"Hey. Hey. What did I say about positivity?"

"That _you_ have way too much of it?"

The man cracked a grin, shaking his head. "Okay.. Phase two." He grabbed a clear container with red liquid in it and twisted the cap off.

The heart rate monitor jumped, but her face remained neutral.

He slid open the glass and stuck the container inside and threw it. It sailed through the air, it's contents spilling out. The container landed close to the piece of meat, rolling to a slow stop.

She shifter on her feet, an uncomfortable look on her face.

"Aside from her heart rate speeding up nothing is out of normal." Fiddleford said.

The man raised a brow, "Fourth time. I can say we're making progress here."

Dana clenched and un-clenched her hands, "I can handle a bit of stale blood."

"That's not what happened two weeks ago." Fiddleford reminded, receiving a sharp glare from the girl.

"Ok! Phase three." The man abruptly said, sensing an argument coming on. He swore those two will never get along.

Dana snapped her head to the man, an uncertain look crossing her face. "I-I don't know if I can do this.."

The man unrolled one of the latex glove and laid it on the desk. "It's ok, just do as you practiced."

"You mean my therapy sessions?" Dana said in a sad attempt of a joke.

"Yeah, that."

Dana took a deep breath, just as the man picked up a small knife and slid it across the palm of his hand. The second small pearls of blood seeped out, a loud bang reverberated through the cave. It was so unexpected that he dropped the knife. He stared, eyes slightly wide at the girl who was staring back at him with yellow ones. The heart monitor was going crazy, and Fiddleford was furiously jotting down notes from the screen of his computers.

She was breathing heavily, her shoulders rising up and down and the force of her hands hitting the glass wall left it quivering. From behind some crates, the Shapeshifter was amazed by the speed it took to cross at least 15 feet in a second.

Her eyes were glued to the bleeding hand.

"Cells multiplying!" Fiddleford yelled.

Dana growled and squeezed her eyes shut, staggering away from the glass wall. The two needles in her arm were ripped out violently from the sudden movement, and two trails of blood trickled down her arm.

"Dana. Dana can you hear me?" The man asked, crouching down.

The girl had dropped down, wrapping her arms around her stomach, her whole body shaking. The man pursed his lips and reached out for his notepad and a pencil.

"Can you tell me what you're feeling right now." He said, pencil posed over paper.

"...Hungry... It hurts, my stomach hurts-" She said with her head down between her knees, "-I don't feel good.."

"What's going through your head."

The girl raised her head, her eyes bloodshot. "I- I your blood. I can _see_ it. It's in my head and- and it won't go away!"

"Can you try to think of something else. Don't concentrate on it, just think of something else."

She shook her head, scrubbing the sides of her head. "No! No it won't go away-" Her bottom lip trembled, "I see you, flashes you're dead. You're dead- you're everywhere."

The girl broke down sobbing, clutching her head rocking back and forth, whispering "Monster... monster.. monster.." Over and over like a mantra.

The man watched her for a moment, his eyes tired and sad. Holding his glasses away he rubbed his face and stood up. "Ok I think we're done for the day."

Fiddleford nodded, and stopped the recording.

Knowing it wasn't safe opening the glass door, the man said, "We'll be back in 30 minutes as usual to let you out." 

Dana just continued rocking back and forth. Fiddleford walked past the man, giving him a look. The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm fine now."

He looked up to see her standing on her feet staring at him.

"You can let me out."

He chuckled, shaking his head. No matter how many times they've done this, she would always try to trick him. He knew it wasn't her, not really. It was the Wendigo talking.

"I heard they're playing Jaws in the drive-in. We'll go and see it after." He said casually, ignoring the burning stare she was giving him. He went to grab the container with the rest of the deer meat in it, and not wanting to waste it went to give it to the Shapeshifter.

He remembered scrambling out of his hiding place to make it back to his cage before the man noticed him gone.

The shifter froze mid-step. He looked over his shoulder slowly to see twins yellow eyes boring into his.

She raised her index finger to her lips.

A chill ran down his spine.

He didn't get caught. And he learned something that never would've crossed his mind if it weren't for him eavesdropping.

Humans were potential food.

He thought about this revelation over and over in his head. It wasn't until one day like any other they let him go above. Dana of course kept a close eye on him, but over time she grew relaxed and sometimes let him wander off by himself only if he came back before sunset. He happened to come upon a group of young adults camping out in the woods.. and you can fill in the blanks.

When he got back after absorbing every inch of blood into his pores, Dana only just cocked her head at him but didn't suspect anything.

It wasn't a primal need of his. He just acquired a new delicacy.

But that wasn't what got his ass frozen. The thirst for more forms to change into, now that was like an addiction he couldn't stop. He needed more until he couldn't stand it anymore. So deceiving the two nerds, he escaped his prison and discovered more and more creatures. He had the power to change into anything he wanted, with all it's physical traits and attributes.

Maybe he got a little bit high with power.

By the time they realized he was gone, he was already in town, gobbling down citizens and wreaking havoc. He felt like nothing could stop him. He was cocky.

They arrived, and when he meant they, he meant the trio he knew and a bunch of other people he'd never seen before. They dressed funny too, all wearing the same uniforms. They shot him with elephant darts, but it had no effect.

One particular dark skinned man blew off his leg with a shotgun.

He managed to injury most of them, including the man who wrote in his journals all day. He made sure to leave a nasty scar.

Dana was the one who actually knocked him out. She actually threw a car at him, hitting the back of his head.

When he woke up he was inside one of the glass tubes. The last thing he saw before cold smoke cloud his vision was _him._

From that day on he swore to get revenge.

Maybe it was sheer luck, but one of the cooling chambers must've malfunctioned, leaving the carbonite to melt over time until he became conscious again. He broke out of his prison, only to be trapped in another.

So for months, years he let his hatred manifest inside him, growing angrier and angrier each day. A small part of himself felt guilt over what he'd done, but he shoved that away. She betrayed him. He thought she would understand. Maybe even choose his side. But no, she was loyal to the Author, just like a pathetic dog.

He held so much resentment towards her the most.

So it came as a big shock to find out she was actually working for Bill. He met the demon once up above. The triangle didn't do anything, just welcomed him to the town, saying he was the welcoming committee.

Weird demon.

Looking at the baby blue sky, he began a slow stroll through the woods. What? Did you expect him to go raging off killing people?

It's been years, and he's grown, both mentally and physically. His mind was so focused on getting revenge, that when Dana told him the two nerds were gone, it left him feeling empty, blank.

He still had Dana to crush, but she offered him something worth more than all the revenge in the world.

And he wouldn't pass up the chance to scare that big-headed boy. She made her instructions very clear. Hide behind something, blah blah blah pop out when you smell blood in a Wendigo form. Chase them around for a bit. Dipper gets scared. No Wendigo searching.

The task was simple.

In silent peace, he listened to chirps coming from the trees. He looked at the winged animal, and morphed into it. With his newly acquired appendage, he flapped his wings and took to the sky.

It felt so nice to be outside again.

After soaring for what felt like hours (and an eagle tried to eat him!) he landed on top of the very peak of a tree, watching the sunset. The bottom of the clouds were splashed with soft orange and yellow. It was a breath taking scene, and he enjoyed every second of it. He stayed up there till the sun disappeared and the moon rose up, taking its place in the dark sky.

Flying back into the sky, he thought it time to get into position.

It was at the place he first caught a prey; a rabbit. Not an impressive catch, but it was his first one and he felt so proud about it.

Sitting behind a tree, he closed his eyes and waited patiently.

A sudden BOOM! exploded, the trees swaying from the force of the blast. The Shifter leaped to his feet startled. Stepping around the tree, he raised an arm to shield his eyes from a bright light, leaves blowing past him.

"Told you guys this is the right time."

The bright light didn't dim down but shadowy figures stepped into focus.

"Dudes, can we stop next for some carne asada fries? I really miss those.."

The Shifter's pinky eyes widened.

"YOU!" The insectoid yelled, his blood boiling.

"Shifter..."

A man stepped to the front.

"It's been a while."

 

 

"Ok, welcome back to Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained." He held up a random piece of cardboard, "Today we investigate anomaly #33"

He made a motion to the right and the camera turned to spot an elderly couple sitting on a bench, feeding crumbs to ducks.

"It _seems_ like a regular old couple feeding ducks-"

"Oh yeah because old people feeding ducks is such a mystery." Dana cut in sarcastically.

"BUT, I've been watching them for hours and I noticed that they never run out of crumbs. Show 'em."

The camera zoomed in and focused on the couple stuffing their hands into their pockets and flinging out more crumbs. It paned out and Dipper stepped into view.

"We've literally been here for hours, and not once have they gotten up to get more bread. How are they getting more bread? Where is it coming from?"

The camera moved back to the elderly couple.

"I've sent Mabel camouflaged as a duck to blend in and get close enough to find out." 

 They scooted behind some bushes and Dana stuck the camera through, zooming in on a girl wearing a yellow sweater with a duck on it, a duck beak strapped around her head covering her mouth and nose.

"Quack. Quack."

Dana sighed, face palming while Dipper waited with apprehension. The camera followed the duck girl squat her way to the old couple, pecking the ground to pretend to eat some crumbs. Turning to look at them, she winked and gave them a thumbs up.

The 'duck' moved closer and closer to the old couple.

"Aha!" Mabel shouted pouncing on the old lady.

"Go, go, go!" Dipper yelled, and the two rushed out of the bushes.

The old lady stood up abruptly, Mabel hanging on to her leg. The old man also got up, and they both opened their mouths and a chilling, loud scream left their lips.

"What?!"

The two kids covered their ears, and Mabel let go to cover hers. Right before their eyes, the two pockets on each of the couples pants expanded, growing wider than a wheel on a bicycle. Air rushed into the pocket, and Dipper could feel it pulling him in. To his amazement, inside the pockets showed the universe, and the two old couple floated in the air and got sucked into each respective pocket.

In the blink of an eye, the vortex winked out of existence.    

Everything settled down, and Dipper reached for the camera.

"Uh.. that concludes anomaly #33.. sort of." He powered down the camera and got up, dusting off his shorts.

Dana picked herself up to, rubbing her head.

"Mabel! Mabel are you okay?" Dipper said jogging to his sister's still form.

"Huh..blub blub.. quack?"

Dipper sighed in relief, "Whoo she's ok." He helped her up, brushing off soot from her shoulders.

"Ugh.. what happened?" Mabel moaned, blinking away the dizziness.

"Don't ask me. I have no idea, I've never seen them before." Dana answered.

A cluster of ducks appeared out of nowhere and crowded around Mabel, prompting her to fall on her rump. She giggled as she let the ducks wiggle around her. "They love me!"

The trio walked out of the park and climbed into the golf cart. Dipper rewind the video, examining what happened.

"Hand it over I wanna see!" Mabel snatched the camera from Dipper and held it between her and Dana.

"Aw I look like a mama duck." Mabel cooed, as Dipper started the cart and drove back to the Shack.

As Mabel watched the video, Dana turned to Dipper. "How's your arm?"

"Mh?" He glanced at the large Band-Aid, "Oh it's alright." He had no memory of getting it. Dana told him after leaving the underground cave he scratched himself on one of the sharp ridges in the tunnel. Funny, he didn't remember leaving the cave, or going back to the shack.

It was 4 in the morning. He must've been really tired.

Parking the cart by the side of the shack, they climbed out and headed inside.

"I'm hungry, what do you guys have?" Dana asked, opening the fridge to raid their food.

"Last night's macaroni?"

She pulled the plastic container out, got a fork and followed the twins into the living room to watch some tv. Stan was already flipping through channels, a bored look on his face.

"There you are kids. Go to the shop, and put the new arrivals on the racks." Stan ordered, nudging a card board box filled with a new supply of mystery t-shirts.

The twins groaned but got to it.

"And give me that." The old man snatched the food away from Dana.

"Hey!"

"Mine." Stan said, clutching the container possessively. Dana pursed her lips but followed the twins. Stan shoved a macaroni in his mouth and gagged. "Augh! It's cold!"

The three kids walked into the shop, and the twins set down the heavy load. As they ripped it open, Wendy's laughter wafted over to them.

"Dana!" The teen called, and she looked away from the work to see Wendy smiling, waving at her. And beside Wendy-

"Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"

The whole word came crashing down around her. Beside Wendy, leaning against the counter was someone she thought she would never see again.

He smiled at her, and waves of memories rushed through her mind.

"Elizabeth." He said, walking over to her. All the color drained from her face. She couldn't move, it was as if her feet were glued to the floor.

Conner pulled his sister into his arms, landing a peck on her forehead.

Dipper and Mabel had stopped what they were doing, looking confused. "Dana?" Dipper said.

The sound of her name being called brought her back to reality. Everywhere his skin came in contact with hers felt like it was burning.

"Oomph!" 

She shoved him away and bolted out of the room.

"Dana!" Dipper called, running after her. He followed her into the bathroom where she collapsed on her knees, vomiting into the toilet. The hot sticky bile burned her throat. With bleary eyes, she saw red swirling in the bowl. Dipper held her hair back, and when she was done he sat down next to her.

"Are you ok?" Dipper asked, freaked out. There was blood, so much blood. She sat down beside him, clutching her stomach.

"Elizabeth."

They snapped their heads to see the same teen from in the shop standing by the doorway. A chocked sound came from her, and in a flash she got up and shoved her way past him, running out of the bathroom.

"Elizabeth!"

"Dana!"

The two boys yelled, running after her. She went through the shop and flew out the door. Dipper was right behind the other boy but something jerked him back by the arm. Wendy held his arm, preventing him from running after the two.

"Let go!" Dipper yelled, squirming under her grip.

Wendy looked worried, "Dipper I think it's a family thing. You shouldn't interfere-"

"Family?"

"Yeah, that's her older brother."

 

 

Dana ran so fast the trees blurred beside her.

She wasn't thinking. Her mind was going into over-drive. 

_No nonono this couldn't be happening this wasn't real_

She didn't know where she was going. She just knew she had to get away.

"Ungh!"

She grunted as something heavy hit her, pushing her down.

"You know I've always been the fastest one."

"GET OFF!" She shrieked, panic tightening her chest. Rolling onto her back she threw him off her and scrambled to her feet.

Conner got up too, and stepped forward but she took three steps back, eyes wide and heart beating a mile a minute.

Her whole body trembled, "You- You can't be real. This can't be happening!-"

"Elizabeth is that any way to greet your brother-"

"SHUTUP!" Tears welled up in her eyes, "You can't be here! How- how?!"

"Bill of course. Didn't he tell you?"

**Bill.**

Anger exploded inside her and she screamed in rage, scaring a few birds.

**I'm going to KILL HIM!**

She was so lost in her rage induced state that she didn't realize Conner had crossed the distance between them and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Elizabeth it's okay, I'm here now."

A hysterical laugh slipped out of her lips as she stumbled away from him. "Are you _fucking insane?!_ "

Conner's lips quirked, "That depends.."

"Get out! You have to leave."

"But Elizabeth I came all this way to be with you-"

"DON'T call me that! Get out! Leave right now or else-"

"Or else what."

"-or else I'll _make_ you fucking leave."

Conner flinched, "Don't use those kind of words, Elizabeth. It doesn't sound proper coming from you-"

"FUCK. YOU!" She screamed. She wanted to hit him, smash his face into the ground but she couldn't- she couldn't bear to touch him. She just wanted him gone.

_This is a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare!_

"Please can we just talk for a minu-"

"No!" Just hearing his voice made her sick to her stomach. She ran her fingers through her hair, scratching at her scalp. "Go. Away."

Conner shook his head, taking a step forward, "Elizabeth please, I love you!"

"You're delusional!" She threw back.

A hurt look crossed his face, "I'm _sorry._ "

"Leave me alone! I don't want you here." She screamed, hot tears slipping down her red cheeks.

"Elizabe-"

 **"LEAVE ME ALONE!"** A deeper monstrous voice said, and she broke off running away.

Jonathan wanted to follow her, every inch of his body wanted to move but he couldn't. His lips trembled and his already fragile mind cracked. So many emotions were running through his veins.

What did he expect? For her to throw herself at him?!

A small part of his brain said yes. He wanted that to happen so badly.

Here it comes again..

It was a sensation he got whenever something was too much for him to handle. He felt himself leave his body. Numbly he watched himself walk away to find something to get rid of the pain.

 

 

The sun was beginning to set, and still no sign of Dana. Its been hours since she ran out with her brother.

_Her brother._

He remembered faintly that she told him he _died_. She lied to him. Why did she lie to him?

Maybe Wendy got it all wrong-

But Dipper couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance. The two weren't twins, unlike he and Mabel, but they did looked so similar to one another. And there was another thing that troubled him deeply.

How was her brother still alive? Or.. young.

"Hey Dip Dip, got us some gummy worms." Mabel entered the attic, wagging the pack of gummies. His only response was a mumble. She frowned and sat on his bed. "Are you still worried about what happened?"

"Worried? Mabel the guy made her throw up." Not only that, he ran after her into the woods. He knew Dana, or hoped, she could handle herself so he didn't tell Stan. But it was getting late and he was so worried something must've happened to her.

"Can't you call her?" Mabel asked helpfully, ripping open the pack.

"She doesn't have a phone." She handed him a piece of gummy and he took it with a mumbled thanks.

"Mmmh don't you have some way of reaching her?"

"No- wait, yes!" Dipper sat up. How could he have forgotten? Sticking his hand under his pillow, he pulled out a small golden scope.

Mabel scooted closer, "Oooh what is that?"

He raised it to his eye, "It's like a telescope. Except you can see wherever you want to see. Dana."

By now he's gotten the hang of the thing, since he's been playing around with it on nights he couldn't go to sleep. The view was already set on Gravity Falls, and like a map on the IPhone, located the object. It zoomed in, and stopped. Dipper blinked in surprise. She was there?

"Here." He tossed Mabel the scope, and slipped on his shoes. "Don't think of the sun!" He called over his shoulder.

"BUAHW!" Mabel yelled, ripping the scope away from her eye.

Since Wendy was retired for the day, he borrowed the keys of the hook and went to the cart. Starting it up, he peeled off down the dirt road and into town. He knew where the place. Heck he should know. That was where he got his ass handed to him. Breaking car limits (because he can because he wasn't technically driving a car) he made it to the water tower in no time.

Parking the cart, he jumped out and went to the newly replaced ladder. After the whole fighting incident with Rumble McSkirmish, the town got the tower fixed because of its dangerous potential to fall and hurt someone or something. Placing one foot on the ladder, he glanced up.

This was going to take a while.

In the back of his mind, he wondered how Grunkle Stan even managed to climb his old fart self up here. Finally, he pulled himself up onto the platform, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Hesitantly, he walked around the water tank, passing by a graffiti of an explosion which he mistook for a mushroom. She was there, her legs swinging off the edge staring at the town of Gravity Falls in the distance.

She didn't turn to acknowledge his presence when he sat down next to her, slipping his legs between the wooden bars and let his hang off too. He tried his best not to look down.

They sat like that in silence watching the sunset.

"Was that really your brother?" He asked softly.

It was a moment before she nodded her head.

"I though you said he was dead."

"He is." She finally spoke up, her voice rough. "The brother I used to know. Now he's just a stranger to me."

Dipper turned to look at her tired face, "What happened?"

She frowned, ".. He.. did something wrong, something.. bad. And I couldn't stand to be around him so I left."

He bit his lip, "What, what did he do?"

Her eyes glazed over, memories rushing through her head. She shook her head, "I can't tell you."

"Oh, is it because of Bill?"

"No, I just.. I just can't." She leaned her head against one of the wooden poles, "I hate him." She whispered, resentment dripping off every word.

"You don't mean that." Dipper countered. No one could really _hate_ their family. No matter how annoying Mabel got sometimes, he would never hate her.

She looked at him, "Even if he ruined my life?"

He shrugged.

"You're probably wondering how he's still young looking."

"Bill?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

They fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Dipper.." She softly said, "I have something I want to tell you.. but you have to promise to never tell anyone."

"I promise.. You can tell me anything. We're friends."

It was word vomit, and she needed to throw it up.

"... When me and my brother were little-" She bowed her head, the words stuck in her throat.

Dipper shifted his body to her, "You can tell me."

Her breath was shaky.

"We-" She let out a strained laugh, "God it's so hard to say."

"Just say it."

She sucked in her cheeks, "When we were little.. he.. uh. I don't get along with him because.. because we did _stuff._ "

God she felt even more sicker just saying it out loud.

Dipper went quiet, his face blank.

His silence was making her uncomfortable. She could throw up then and there, and peering over the edge she wondered how much it would hurt if she jumped off.

"Me too."

Her lips parted, and she looked at the boy who had his head bowed, his shoulders shaking. Hot tears slipped down his cheeks, dripping down his chin. He wiped them away furiously.

"It was years ago, and- and we don't talk about it. I think she forgot about it.. but I haven't."

It was like re-opening old scars. He could feel the shame he thought he got rid of crash back down on him, making his whole body tingle and his stomach churn. "I try not to think about it.. And I told myself we were young and we didn't know any better.. but.."

He took of his hat, clutching it on his lap and let the cool wind dry his face.

"But it still makes you feel sick." Dana whispered.

He swallowed down a lump, and nodded his head. "Everyday I felt so _sick._ I don't know how I even lived." He looked away, "I had to sit a certain way so when I ate I wouldn't feel sick. I couldn't go to sleep. And every time I looked at her I-" He gasped, his hands shaking.

"It's disturbing isn't it?" Dana muttered. She didn't say the word. If she did it would break her too.

He sniffled, rubbing his nose, "Over time it got better. I don't know if Mabel remembers what happened but I don't want to ask. She's so happy.. I don't want to ruin that. I don't want her to go through what I had to go through."

Dipper breathed out, a puff of air floating away. "I've never told anyone that. Not even my parents."

"Me too."

Dipper let out a laugh, scratching his arm, "This doesn't feel real. I- this feel so surreal."

"Sometimes I feel like my life is not real. Like I'm trapped in some kind of reality that's not mine." Dana confessed.

"You know, the reason why I read so much books was because it helped me forget what I've done. It kept me distracted, and I felt safe." Dipper didn't expect how good it felt to get his deepest, darkest secret off his chest. He felt lighter somehow.

She reached for his hand and took it in hers. They watched splashes of red, orange and purple bathe the soft clouds, staining the sky.

"What are you going to do about your brother?"

"I don't know."

He bit his lip, "You should just try talking to him."

"Maybe.."

They sat in silence again, and she scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey Dipper, tell me something you've never told anyone else before. Something else." She added.

Dipper thought about it, rolling it over in his head. A blush spread across his cheeks. "Well, I have this.. song I sing in the shower."

"What song?"

He scratched the back of his head, "That's the thing.. It's sort of like a theme song I made up about me."

She laughed, her mood lightening.

Dipper pouted, "Your turn."

Her laughter died down, and a thoughtful look came upon her face. She untangled her hand from his and held his up.

"I've always wanted to be married." She whispered, circling his index finger. "Whenever I saw my parents together, they looked so happy. So in love. I wanted that, and I would pray every night wishing to meet someone I would be with forever."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged, "It's alright. I got over it a long time ago."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, her skin washed with orange and yellow.

"Why don't you just... marry me?"

She lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him.

"Right now?"

"Right now."

Her lips quirked upward, "Ok. We're married."

"Yeah? Just like that?"

She smiled, intertwining their fingers, "Yeah."

They both looked back at the sunset.

"Do we say I love you?" Dipper asked, a strange giddiness rising in his chest.

She frowned, shaking her head slowly, "No."

"Maybe one day?"

"Maybe."

Way up there, Dana pecked his cheek, Dipper turning beet red.

But for now they had each other. And that's all they could ever ask for.

 

Underground parties were his kind of thing. No matter where he went, he always had the knack for finding it. Or maybe it finds him.

With each step he took down the stairs, he felt like he was descending into a whole another world. The music filled his ears, and the bass vibrated through his body. Taking the last step into wonderland, he entered a crowded room filled with sweaty, drugged up people.

He gave a quick scan, sizing up the type of person to fit his needs.

Walking to a glowing bar, he rested his elbows up against it, letting the music drown him. Wasting no time, he walked into the crowd. He grinded up against any body that went his way. A random cup was shoved into his hand and he drank it without a thought, handing it over to someone else. Glow sticks glowed in the dark, and people had glow in the dark paint splashed over their bodies.

Some girl wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a sloppy kiss, smearing neon lipstick all over his mouth. He pulled at her lip with his teeth and pushed her to a wall, pinning her in place. Their tongues twisted and invaded each other's mouth, his body pressed against hers. He lowered down to attack her neck and then her collarbone, sucking on the bone.

He pulled away and looked at her. She was totally out of it, head lolling left and right. She was sweet, but he needed someone more.. dominant.

Giving the girl one last lick on the lips he pushed her back into the crowd. Leaning against the stone wall, he searched for that someone.

"You hit?" A voice yelled beside him. He turned to see a man, maybe in his 20's holding his finger to him, a small white square tab on the tip of his finger, a green alien head printed on the tab.

Conner grinned, and opened his mouth sticking his tongue out. The man smiled and placed the tab on the teen's tongue where it disappeared into his mouth. He blinked, resting his head back exposing his throat.

When he opened his eyes, he could _see_ the music drifting in the air.

Bodies bumped and grinded against him and how the hell did he get into the crowd. Faces floated past him, the neon lights quadrupling, and glowed bright almost blindingly so.

He was pressed against something hard, and something equally hard pinned him to it. Rolling his head to the side, he saw two girls sucking each others faces off and _shit_ he just loved girl on girl.

He hissed as he felt something bite his neck, reminding him that someone was on _him_.

"Pussy or ass?" A different man said.

Conner smirked, licking his lips, "I'm a loving guy."

The blonde man took it as a fuck me anyways and lead Conner away into a passageway. It was like a dressing room of sorts, with curtains hanging to give each room some privacy. While being led, he peeked into one and wow, FFM. He wished he could join...

But no right now he needed someone that was going to take _care_ of him, and looking at the man pulling him to an empty room he was sure he was going to get what he wanted.

Not even a second in the room he was shoved onto a dirty mattress, his body bouncing at the force. The man wasted no time straddling his hips, unbuckling his belt. He grabbed his hands and held them together, wrapping the belt around them and tightening it.

"How old are you?" The man said, pulling Conner's shirt up and over his head, exposing pale smooth skin.

Conner laughed, "Does it matter?"

The man shrugged, "What's your name?"

"Cunt, whore, cum-bag.. anything you want me to be, baby."

The man grinned wickedly and crushed his lips against the teen's, grinding their pelvis' together.

When they broke apart Conner breathed, "You got a knife and a lighter?"

The man mumbled something and fumbled in his jacket, fishing out the two objects.

"Heat up the knife." Conner ordered impatiently.

The man raised a brow at him, "You're fucked up kid."

Conner smiled, "Baby I'm _all_ kinds of fucked up."

The man heated the pocket knife over the small flame, Conner eyeing it hungrily. After a few seconds, he capped the lighter and held the knife over his chest, giving the teen a questioning look.

Conner moaned shamelessly, "Daddy I've been a really, _really_ bad boy. I need to be punished.. I sinned.."

That encouraged the man and he pressed the hot blade down on his chest, dragging it down leaving a clean line. Conner hissed, arching his back and shit shit it hurt but god did he love it. The drug only maximized the experience.

He felt every touch of the blade burn his sensitive skin, every part of his instincts screaming at him to _get away! fire! burning!_

"Ungh.. Nhg-" His breath hitched as the blade pressed against his neck, burning the skin. His pants were constricting, and he squirmed wanting to release himself but his hand were tied over his head. The pain was so delicious but he wanted _more._

"Choke me." He breathed out, all his senses going whack. "Punish me."

He needed this. He needed to forget her face.. she hates him.

If God wasn't going to strike him down and send him to hell, he had to bring hell to him.

"Shit I need another." The man said, pulling out a small clear plastic bag, pouring white powder in a line down his chest. Rolling a random scrunched up dollar bill, he used the knife to sweep the drug into a clean line. "Don't breath." He snorted it, scrunching his nose and wiping some away.

"Gimme some." Conner whined and the man relented. He rolled to his side, letting the man hold the rolled up bill in his nose and repeated the action. He sighed, laying back down. Now _this_ was getting fun.

Hands wrapped around his neck, and he grinned, feeling it cut off his airway.

" _Harder._ " He choked out. He wanted to feel it. He wanted the pain. He could feel the mans fingers tighten, his thumbs pressing into a throat-

and the pressure lifted. Conner sucked in breath, his eyes snapping open. A whine left his throat when the man focused on getting his pants off.

His mind was everywhere, and he didn't know up from down. Someone was laughing and he realized it was him.

_Pretty pretty clouds_

"Back away from the underage, horny teenager."

Conner giggled.

"What the fuck kid get out of here- AUGHW!" The man screamed in pain as the hand he used to pushed the girl out got crushed, each finger breaking and left in odd angles.

" **Get out or I will fucking kill you.** "

"She's not kidding!" Conner laughed. The man barely had time to put on his shirt before getting thrown out roughly.

"Now _that's_ the sister I know."

Dana didn't say anything, just ripped off the belt and threw his shirt at his face. Conner plucked it off his head and played with it. She huffed and pulled him up, dragging him shirtless back to the crowd of dancing people. Shoving people out of the way with excessive force, she helped him up the stairs since he kept saying they're moving those bastards!

Stepping out into the cold night air, she tugged him across the empty street and down a sidewalk. Conner smiled, playing with her hair which received a slap on his hand.

"How'dchu find me?" Conner managed to say.

"Your blood." She said steely.

He chuckled, "Buuuuuut I thought you hated mee.."

"I do."

The moonlight shone down on her pretty hair, illuminating her pale face.

"I missed you.." He reached out to touch her face but she swatted his hand away. He only giggled, skipping on his feet. "Why'd you do that? I liked him.. he was really nicee.."

That seemed to snap something inside her because she halted abruptly and shoved him against a brick wall of a building.

"Why did you let him _do_ that to _you?!_ " She yelled.

Conner grinned looking at her under his lashes, "Why do _you_ even care. You fucking hate me."

She gritted her teeth and snatched his arm again, continuing down the street. They walked off heading to the line of the trees.

"Can you change?" She asked.

"Look! Look can you see that? It's unicorn and flies... a _Unifly!_ " Conner exclaimed, reaching out to grab air.

She sighed, and morphed into her natural form.

The Wendigo picked up the teen with little to no effort and took off in a brisk run. The trees blurred past him and he waved his arms. Fucking shit he was fucking flying.

Cold water splashed on him before they were inside some kind of tunnel. It placed him down on his feet and Dana dragged him the rest of the way to her home.

"I like your pad." Conner said, looking around the cavern. She dragged him to the mattress and pushed him on it. 

"Go to sleep. Whatever is in your system will wear off and I want you gone by morning." Dana said coldly.

"No.." Conner whined rolling off the mattress, and trying but failing to stand up. "I want you with me.. like old times. I missed you.."

She ignored him, and headed to the exit. No way was she going to stay in the same room? Cave with him. She'd sleep outside for tonight.

"Don't go. Don't leave me again.." The teen was sprawled all over the floor, giving up on trying to stand. "I'd  _die_ if you leave."

She laughed bitterly, "You can't die."

"I tried."

That made her halt in her steps.

"When you left.. I couldn't stand being without you.. I couldn't take it.. what I did to you.."

"What you _almost_ did." She corrected, her mood darkening.

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, "I tried everything. I lit myself on fire.. I shot myself in the head.. twice."

He laughed, "How the fuck do I kill myself?"

He laid on the ground, his mind slipping in and out of reality. Dana walked back over to him, and dragged him up and over the mattress. She stared at him, a million thoughts and a trillion emotions running through her mind.

Without saying anything, she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Electrick Children, I love that movie.
> 
> Secret by Pierces  
> Flesh by Simon Curtis  
> Oh and I did some art for this so if you wanna check it out:  
> http://natsumiirex.deviantart.com/art/Gravity-Falls-Maneater-498989538
> 
> T4R


	16. I Used to Know You

She laid in the middle of a meadow, covered in blood and gore, staining the pretty white flowers. The sun glistened in the baby blue sky, bathing it's warm heat over her body. With one bloodied arm she reached for it.

Fingers brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She turned her head to see Jonathan staring at her with hollow eyes, dark red staining his lips.

She always thought it looked pretty on his skin.

\-----------

In spring they would leave the other children to play by themselves. He ran through the woods while she skipped, her white dress bellowing in the wind.

In their secret spot, they laughed and chased each other around.

He would always catch her.

In the grass they sat, bare feet dirtied with fresh soil. With skillful fingers, she weaved together the pretty flowers her mother taught her how to make, while their father taught him how to hold an axe.

So young they were.

Her shining blue eyes hypnotized him, sucked him in.

Delicate fingers brushed his cheeks.

Her giggles filled his heart.

Soft pink petal lips.

So young they were.

Her innocence he treasured.

Her hand was so small in his.

They go back to the other children; she leaves to braid the other girl's hairs, and he runs with the boys through the streets waving sticks around.

\-----------

The blood in her mouth was still warm.

Sticky on her fingers.

Tattered clothes strewn in the grass, small shoes forgotten.

Their laughter echoed in her mind.

Their screams thrilled her spine.

\----------

"Come now, tell us what happened last night."

Jonathan shook his head grinning, biting into a juicy apple.

The boys around him moaned in disappointment.

"You're no fun. Mary is the only girl in town who've kept her skirt down." His friend, Christopher complained.

He swallowed, "Sorry boys but my lips are sealed." He tossed the unfinished apple at one of the boys, "Speaking of which I've got to go see her now!"

He smiled as his friends aw'd and boo'd. Briskly walking through the streets, he tipped his hat at a group of passing young maidens who blushed and giggled, scurrying past him.

A pair of horses pulling a carriage along slowed to a stop.

"Jonathan my boy!" A plump man greeted with a jolly smile.

"Mr. Duebell!" He greeted back.

Mr. Duebell leaned over, resting his elbow on his lap, "I passed your Father on the way here and he's been looking for you."

"Well then if you happen upon him again, tell him you've never seen me."

The man laughed, "A growing young man like you shouldn't waste his time chasing girl's skirts. He should be on his Father's land working."

"Yes but I prefer to be out here, and I can't at the moment. I'm meeting with a sweet doe."

Duebell squinted his eyes at the boy, wagging a finger at him, "God watch over you that your mother never hears what goes around town."

Jonathan waved his hand dismissively, "Those are just rumors my friend. I have only one in my sight and that is my sweet dear sister."

That made the old man laugh, "Oh dear Elizabeth, that young one. She's growing up to have her mother's beauty. You should be careful now, pretty soon all the young lads will be knocking on your Father's door asking for her hand."

Jonathan started walking off since he was in a hurry, "If any bloke tries he'll have to get pass me!" He jogged off, Duebell waving him goodbye and snapping the reins making the horses start up again. He jogged down streets and through alley's between houses, his boots slapping against the muddy ground.

Finally he reached the town square, crowds of people milling about. He scanned the area until his eyes rested on a young woman no older than 16 standing with her back to him, a basket in her hand. Striding to her, he swooped and plucked a single flower from a shop. A smiling spreading on his face and reached out and touched her waist.

"Oh!" The girl let out in surprise.

"Mary, my love how beautiful you look today." Conner cooed, presenting the flower to her.

"You're late." Mary said, crossing her arms.

"Ha ha am I?" He laughed, trying to play it off.

"Yes, you are." The girl stepped out of his arms and started walking away. Jonathan caught up to her, a charming smile on his face.

"Well you see I ran into Mr. Duebell on the way here and he kept chatting and chatting and I couldn't possibly leave without looking rude-"

She turned sharply to him, a brow raised, "Mr. Duebell?"

"Mr. Duebell."

She hummed, continuing down the road, "What a likely situation."

Jonathan nodded, "Yes, yes-no! I mean no."

Her thin lips quirked up, "Oh so if no then what did you two talk about?"

"What did we- what did we talk about? Why about my sister of course."

"Oh, your sister, of course." She said, giving him a playful smile that sent warm tingles down his back.

"Oh!" He suddenly pulled her into his arms, cradling her soft pink cheek.

"Mary I tell you the truth. Please," He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, "Don't be sour with me."

He could tell she tried her best to remain mad, but her face softened and she smiled. "I could never stay mad at you."

He grinned and gently kissed her, tasting her sweet lips. When they parted, they continued down the road. They talked about their day, as they left town and up a small hill where a single large tree stood.

Mary jogged ahead, glancing back and waving at him to hurry up. He did so, chuckling and they sat by the tree.

"What have you brought?" He asked curiously.

She smiled and flipped open the basket, revealing a stash of red strawberries. Picking one up by its leaf she popped it in her mouth, and fed him another. They relaxed under the shade of the tree, a warm summer breeze blew softly and he closed his eyes enjoying the sensation.

Mary rested her head on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head, smelling her blonde locks. They smelled of wild flowers after a spring drizzle.

"Have you heard what happened at the peace conference." Mary said, breaking the silence. "I can't believe they declared war."

"The Confederates are a bunch of cowards. They can say what they like, but when Lincoln comes in with his army they'll surrender faster than the British surrendered Yorktown."

"And if they don't?"

"Then they're all fools who deserve what's coming for them."

Mary clung to his arm, rubbing her thumb over their entwined fingers.

"Mary what's wrong? You look troubled."

She sighed, snuggling closer to him, "I can't help but worry that if there is to be a war, they'll need men to fight."

Jonathan laughed, "Of course they need men to fight, that's how war works."

"Yes I know, what I'm worried about is that they might need _you_."

He blinked in surprise, "That won't happen. We live in a simple town-"

"But will you not go?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Don't think I don't listen when you talk about leaving this town."

He sat up, "I would never leave you."

She smiled softly, caressing his cheek with her knuckles, "I know you Jonathan. You would."

He placed his hand over hers, "No, no I would never. I love you too much."

She laughed and it sounded like bells.

"You don't believe me?" He said.

"Don't believe you? You must've told that to many girls before me-" She squealed as he kissed her cheeks, lips, forehead, everywhere.

"I."

Kiss.

"Love."

Kiss

"You."

He pelted her with more kisses and she scrunched her face up, "Ok! Ok I give up you do!"

He stopped, searching her eyes, "I've loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you."

"I remembered you pulled my hair when I first met you."

He laughed and kissed her gently, her mouth tasting of sweet strawberries. They stayed out there, enjoying each others company for as long as they can. Strolling hand in hand back to town, they stopped.

"Tomorrow?" She asked.

"Until tomorrow." He confirmed and kissed her again. He watched her off, already missing her.

Whistling a tune, he walked back home. Through the trail he followed into the woods, his house a little way inside its womb. People thought them crazy for building their house in the forest, but his parent's always like the woods. And it wasn't far from town, so they weren't completely isolated.

"Why are you so cheery?"

Jonathan jumped startled.

"Oh, it's you." He calmed down when he saw who it was. A man dressed in all black with striking blonde hair came out of nowhere and joined him, a grin on his face. 

"Nothing, I just think the days nice today."

The man leaned in, "It doesn't have anything to do with a Mony."

"Mary."

"Maney. Same thing." The tall man tugged his arm and pinned him to a tree, stroking his fingers delicately over his neck. "You've been spending more time with that girl instead of me. I'm starting to feel a bit lonely.."

Jonathan's breath hitched as his fingers trailed down his chest to slip under the loose shirt. He chuckled weakly and slipped under the man, continuing down the trail, a blush staining his cheekbones.

"I-I've always got time for you."

The man easily caught up, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Then why're you running away? I remembered you used to beg me to stay."

He blushed more, "I was little back then."

Again he was pinned to a tree, this time trapped between to arms and a body looming over him. The man grinned a not so friendly grin and rubbed a thumb over his cheek. "I can still make you blush," He leaned in, his lips brushing against his ear, "I could do so much more than that girl can ever do. You know that~"

Jonathan's face flushed, unwanted memories flashing in his mind. Hesitantly, he brushed the eye-patch strapped to the blonde man's face which covered his right eye.

"Will you tell me your name?"

The man's peculiar golden eye glinted, and he shook his head. "What have I told you. It's a secret."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. Ever since this mysterious man, or entity, first came to him when he was just a lad he kept his name a secret. Back then the man claimed he was his imaginary friend. He liked to think he was more of a guardian angel- or not so angel. He was just _something_ that watched over him through out the years. The man was a secret he's never told anybody else, not even his sister. 

His thoughts were interrupted as warm fingers slid under and up his shirt, resting them on his waist. One hand crept slowly down to his pants.

"W-we can't. Not here!" Jonathan gasped, eyes flickering around the woods. If anyone were to see them.. Oh God he didn't want to think what would happen. His parents would shun him, Mary would- would. He couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him.

The man flicked his head, "You're thinking too much again."

He swallowed a lump in his throat, "S-sorry."

The man's lips twitched, "Are you thinking about her."

"No."

An annoyed expression crossed his face, "Don't lie. I can always tell when you're lying to me."

Jonathan looked away, "I'm sorry.. but I love her. Whenever I'm with her I feel so light."

The man pulled away, "Ah, young love. I can only hope it ends like Romeo and Juliet."

"Who?"

"Nothing." The blonde man rested his forehead against Jonathan's, "If you love Molly-"

"Mary."

"-so much then why not run away together. You know her Father, the judge if you've forgotten, would never allow you to be with her."

Jonathan frowned, "I haven't forgotten. But I can't simply _leave._ Where would we go? How would we even survive out there."

"I can help you with that. All you've got to do is ask."

Jonathan crossed his arms, "Not this again. I told you, I won't give away my sister's soul. For all I know you could be a demon!"

A dark look came over the man's face, "If I was a demon then you would've been dead already. Come on Jonathan, look at it. I could give you everything you want! Your future with your beloved will be happy and worry free. You two can be together.. All I'm asking for in return is  _just,_ sweet, sweet Elizabeth's soul. Simple really."

"And why do you want it so badly? You offer me something, and always in return you want her soul. Why?"

"Lets just say I like children's souls. They're so pure, so innocent. I like to collect them, like a collector. It's a hobby of mine."

Jonathan raised a brow. "I see. The answers still no though."

The man's face fell, but he grinned, "Fine."

Jonathan pushed away from the tree and continued down the trail. The man walked beside him all the way to the cabin in the woods. From a distance, he spotted a face in the window and he smiled, when it disappeared and the door swung open, a little girl running to him.

HIs mysterious guardian vanished before the girl could see him. Elizabeth ran to her brother and crashed into him, wrapping her small arms around him.

"You're back!" The girl squealed happily and pulled away, a pout on her face. "Where have you been? Father's been looking for you."

Jonathan bent down, "You see I was in town, coming back home but a pair of ugly trolls attacked me in the woods!"

His heart lightened when the girl's eyes widened in fascination. "Oh no! Did they try to eat you?"

He nodded, "Yes they tried but I fought back."

"But you didn't have sword!" Elizabeth breathed.

"Ha, you think your older brother needs swords? I fought them with my bare hands!"

"Did you win?"

He picked her up, walking to the cabin, "Of course I won! If I haven't I wouldn't be here right now."

She giggled at her own mistake and poked his nose. "I can fight trolls, too."

"Oh can you, now?"

She nodded her head, "Mhm. You'll see. I'll protect you next time those mean trolls try to eat you."

He threw his head back and laughed, "I'd like to see that."

"It's true, I will!"

The two headed back inside, and hidden in the trees a single eye watched them.

\----------

A chorus of screams filled the night air.

Blood stained the streets.

The black beast ripped out a lovely maiden's throat, her last thoughts were of a young man with soft blue eyes.

\----------

Their minds broke.

Nothing of who they were remained, and only thing left of them were their empty bodies.

Nightmares plagued their dreams.

Whispers invaded their ears.

_**Kill.. kill.. kill..** _

A demon laughs.

Their sanity dripped away like the blood on their fingertips.

\---------

During the war, many men have fallen, dying with leads in their chests.

After, their bodies of hundreds are left for nature.

The soldiers at camp tell stories of demons in the night who eat the dead.

\---------

An arm was swept away in the stream, blood following.

A little boy's face was stuck in horror, dried tears on his cold cheeks.

The monster ripped off his small legs and gobbled it down. One claw hand went to pluck out his eyeballs but it stopped.

In the reflection of the water, the beast stared at itself.

A flicker of recognition.

A girl touched her reflection's face.

_who am I?_

\---------

The morning after she didn't want to wake up. Daruka filled her mind, and the confusion, the dawning realization and then the hatred in his eyes broke her heart. Getting up from the forest floor, she numbly walked somewhere, nowhere.

Time was lost to her.

The big moon shone down, providing little light.

A _snap!_ of a twig breaking in half sounded behind her.

She knew who it was. A sheer layer of anger bubbled under her skin but she was too tired to care anymore.

"Go away."

It was too soon to see him again. Not after what he's done.

His presence still remained, silent.

Confused she looked back at him.

He was hidden in shadows, but his eyes glowed yellow.

"Jonathan?"

He stepped out of the dark, and a shiver ran down her spine. His eyes. What happened to his eyes? They weren't blue, nor the Wendigo's. They were still yellow but- but his pupils were dark, inhuman slits.

Something wasn't right.

She sensed it in the air, it screamed at her in her mind.

He remained silent, his eyes burning into her soul. He took a step forward, and she took a step back.

The moon turned red.

Her whole body froze, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move her legs. A small grin spread on his face.

_move, move why couldn't she move?!_

For the first time she knew how the rabbit felt when a wolf catches them.

He laid her down on the cold grass, and it itched her skin. A tear slips down her cheek.

But she could still feel his lips on her neck. His fingers caressing her cheek, running through her hair.

Her legs part, her dress hiking up.

His fingers glide over her soft pale thighs.

A horrible grin on his face.

_Who was this?_

The moon turned into an eye, looking down on them.

She could feel herself floating away.

And then he looks at her, the horrible grin on his face falters, and his eyes flickers.

She blinked as something wet hits her cheek.

She looks at him and he's trembling, a confused, twisted expression on his face.

He scrambles away, a choked scream in his throat. He twists and convulses on the ground, clutching his head.

He's screaming something but she can't hear him.

Numbly she gets up and stagger away.

The eye was gone.

\----------

Bill knew the brother wouldn't give away her soul. He needed both of them gone. He wasn't good in looking into the future, but he knew the two of them would get in the way of his plans. 

He wasn't going to let that happen.

Not after so many centuries of planning and waiting.

He wasn't going to let two kids ruin it all.

So if he couldn't get rid of them... he would make them join him. But first he had to strip away their identity. Their humanity.

The wolves were a clever prop, and he only had to tell the brother what to do. Of course, he had to give him a little _push_ in the right direction. The mind was his specialty after all.

It worked out beautifully. He felt giddy. This was the first time he had two monstrous creatures at his beck and call.

Everything was working out fine.

Until the sister started getting her consciousness back. No, no that wouldn't do. He had to make sure they were _broken._

He talked in the brother's mind, whispering that _she was going to leave him for that indian boy. Are you going to let that happen? She will leave you. Don't you deserve something for yourself?_

Unfortunately that didn't turn out like he planned. She was horrified yes, but not broken. No, he _needed_ her broken!

The brother was so easy to control, and slipping into his mind was a piece of cake.

He admit, it felt nice being in a body again and gosh he forgot how much pain thrilled him. It was a good thing the boy had regenerative health.

He finds her, and just to make this easy he shuts down her motive signals. Now he had her all to himself. Bill couldn't remember the last time he's tasted the flesh of an innocent. Yes maybe back in the Egyptian era the priests would sacrifice young maidens to him but really raping a soul wasn't the same as taking one in the flesh.

Bill enjoyed it, took it slow to savor the moment. He guessed that was his mistake.

The boy inside fought and fought and to his surprise, actually pushed him out of his head. Never underestimate the love of a brother, Bill noted to himself as his triangle body went flying away.

But some damage was already done. Maybe not physically but mentally.

That was the last time the siblings saw each other. The boy fell into a depression Bill made worse everyday. And for the sister..

He could use her in the future.

\----------

“Something's wrong.”

_with us_

Elizabeth didn't know what it is. She couldn't quite grasp it.

“Nothing's wrong.” Jonathan says, but he looks so lost.

Their hunger filled their minds.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say Bill is evil. 
> 
> Is This Happiness - Lana Del Rey


	17. Dog Teeth

You know when you wake up, there is always that perfect way of having your consciousnesses creep back in, as your dreams slip away. Dipper had that wake up, eyes still closed but senses activated. It was one of those morning when you don't want to get out of bed, because it felt like sleeping curled up in a cloud with a heater. The blanket covered half of his face, and he snuggled deeper into his pillow.

Slowly, he was falling back asleep, when he realized he felt something on his hand. His left hand was tucked under the pillow. Lazily, his eyes fluttered open. He saw first his right hand, another hand entwined with his. Dipper didn't know how to feel when he saw Dana laying next to him, holding his hand loosely. He stared at her sleeping face, taking everything in. She looked so different.. almost peaceful.

Dana's face twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey." Dipper whispered, because well, he didn't know what else to say.

"Hi." She said back, her voice hoarse, and she looked terrible. Dark bags hanged under her tired puffy eyes, and her skin looked clammy. 

She blinked, rubbing her cheek, "I'm sorry. This is your bed and it's awkward-" 

Dipper shook his head, his mind still catching up, "No, no it's alright. What, what are you doing here?" 

Dana shrugged, "I couldn't sleep." 

"Oh.." 

They laid in silence, listening to the birds outside chirping, and just the general noise of morning. 

"How'd you get in here?" Dipper asked. 

Dana, despite the deep frown lines, smiled, "I have a thing for breaking and entering." 

Her smile faded, replaced with a worn, tired look. 

"Are you ok?" Dipper untangled his hand from hers and reached out to touch her face. She flinched, and he drew his hand back. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok. I'm ok." She reassured him, and to prove it she stuck her cold feet on his legs, making him gasp and kick away. 

"Ah that's cold, that's cold!" Dipper whispered harshly, pulling his legs up to his chest. 

She snickered and poked his face, "You drool." 

Dipper frowned, and finally felt the wetness on his cheek. He sat up, wiping his mouth, face turning red. Dana followed up, and they both glanced over at Mabel, who was only a curled up lump under the blanket. 

"What time is it?" Dipper yawned, scratching his bed hair. 

"6:24" 

Dipper felt tired from hearing that. It was super early; nobody was awake yet. He crawled out of bed, shivering because of the morning air, "You wanna have some cereal?" 

She nodded, and barefooted they padded quietly out of the attic and down the stairs. Dipper felt weird being up this early. The shack was quiet for once, no busy uncles or crowds of tourists. It was like he stepped into another dimension. 

Dana pulled up a seat while he opened the fridge and pulled out the milk. He got the necessary materials for an early cereal breakfast. They sat, their crunching the only sound in the room. Dipper chanced a glance at Dana, who was swishing the spoon around, looking at it dejectedly.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Dipper asked. 

She shook her head and pushed the bowl away, resting her forehead down on the table. Dipper watched her warily. 

"Dana, are you ok?" 

"I'm just tired." She lifted her head, and took both bowls and placed them in the sink. 

"What do you wanna do?" Dipper asked, as she sat back down, drawing her knees to her chest. 

"I dunno, burn something." She said darkly. 

Dipper frowned, "What's wrong. You're acting weird." 

"Nothing I'm just, really, tired." She said annoyed. 

He crossed his arms, "Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?" 

" _Nothing_ is wrong." Dana snapped, slamming her fist on the table. 

Dipper flinched, his body freezing up. Dana glared at him, but when she saw the frightened look on his face she stopped, and uncurled her hand. 

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't-" 

"You're bleeding." Dipper cut her off, staring bug eyed at the red blood leaking out of her nose. Confused, she raised her fingers to her nose and it came back bloody. Dipper was already on it, ripping a paper towel and handing it to her. Wiping the blood off, she got up and threw it away, but didn't come back to the table. Instead she exited the shack.

"Dana?" Dipper called after her, getting up and following. He found her sitting outside on the bench, knees tucked to chest and face hidden away. Hesitantly, he sat down next to her. 

"Is this about your brother?" 

No reply. 

"Is he that bad?" 

This time a response. She shook her head, and lifted her face, resting her chin on her knees. "I hate him." 

Dipper frowned, and bit his lip, but he couldn't think of anything to say. It didn't matter, since she continued. 

"I don't want him here, but I can't get rid of him." She glared, her eyes watering, "I don't know what to do." 

It took Dipper a while to reply. He wasn't good with this.. stuff. Talking and advice giving. He was only 12. So he searched his memories for anything to help him. 

"Maybe.." He started, "You could just.. talk to him." That was what his mom used to tell him when he and Mabel got in a fight. And surprisingly, it works. That was why he and Mabel rarely fight- ok sometimes- but they made up real quick. They were close, and Dipper felt sort of prideful about that. Not most siblings has a connection like they do. 

"Talk to him. That would work if I didn't want to punch him in the face every time I see him." She bit out, her fists curling unconsciously. 

"Was it one thing hes done?"

"No- I don't know. It's everything. He's always.. I don't know how to explain it." She looked away, "Yeah, it's what he did. But not only that. It's what he doesn't do that makes me so mad." 

"What do you want him to do?" Dipper asked. 

"I just.. I just want him to say sorry." She whispered, "He never does. Not really. He doesn't mean it." 

"How do you know he doesn't? Maybe he really is sorry." Dipper said.

"I doubt that. He's.." She sighed, "He was all I had.  _We_ were all we had."

"After your parents died." Dipper said, and she made a face.

"Yeah.. After they.. died me and my brother were homeless for quite a long time."

Dipper frowned, "Why? Didn't you guys go to an orphanage?"

She shook her head, "No. No both of us didn't want that. We became, sorta like traveling gypsies. And then something happened and I left and found myself here. That was when I met the Author. He took me in. And for once in my life I actually felt like someone cared about me. I didn't feel lonely anymore." 

"But then Bill happened." Dipper said. 

"Yeah." 

"I don't get it. Why did you make deals with him?" 

She brushed her hair back, "Dipper when I first met Cipher he was an ok guy. He didn't come off as evil, or creepy or anything. Ok well a little bit creepy, but he just seemed like any other strange thing in this world. And even after he cursed me, well ok look at this. You've seen movies about immortal people loosing their sense of morality? Well, it's kinda the same thing. Dipper I've been stuck here for, a long time. Making silly deals with Bill helped pass the time. And anyways, they were harmless." 

"Yeah, unless you don't count the one that took away your right to tell the secrets of this place. You can't even tell me who the Author is. Can you even write it down?" 

She opened her mouth, and closed it, "I can't write it down.. And ok look at what happens if I try to tell you. The Author is ----" 

A soft light glowed in her throat, and she winced.

Dipper's eyes widened, "Whoa, what was that?" 

Dana coughed clearing her throat, "It's like a prevention spell. Or ward. Or something. I just know when I try to say anything I'm not supposed to out loud, even to myself, my throat starts to burn, like really burn. It's like there's a volcano in there. Ow.. it really hurts."

"Do you need water?" Dipper asked getting up.

She shook her head, rubbing her throat. "It goes away." She patted the seat, prompting him to sit back down.

"So there's.. no way in getting rid of this?" Dipper asked, waving his hand at her throat. 

"If there was, I would've tried. And I did, try that is, but it's just, impossible. There's no loophole or anything." 

Dipper scrunched his face up in thought. "If Bill is somehow preventing you from spilling then.. he has to be controlling something in your mind right? He is a dream demon. Maybe he placed something in your head that's stopping you." 

Dana deadpanned, "And I suppose you wanna get into my head and destroy it." 

"Yes!" 

"No."

"Why not? If my theory is right then this could be the only way to set you free." Dipper argued, "Don't you want that too?" 

"I do- It's just that. Dipper first off, you have no idea on even how to perform the enchantment. And like I said before, it's too dangerous. You could die." 

"Then teach me. I'm sure you had practice too. Teach me, and when you think I'm ready we can do this."

"Augh.. you're a really stubborn kid, you know that?" Dana said, "But.. fine. Alright. Ok, I'll teach you-"

"Yes!" Dipper exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air.

"BUT, if I think for one second this won't work, or it's too dangerous for you we'll stop. Got it?" Dana said sternly.

"Yeah, yeah sure when do we get started?" Dipper said excitedly. He's never before had any practice in the arts of magic. Actually he didn't even know magic, or anything supernatural existed before coming here.

Dana scratched the back of her head, "Um.. I guess we could start today."

"What about your bro?"

She shrugged, "I'll deal with him.. later. Do you wanna learn or not?"

Dipper jumped to his feet, "Heck yeah. So, who are we gonna experiment on first?"

"Who?" Dana echoed, getting up as well.

"Who, like which person. I was thinking Grunkle Stan but I've already been in his mind before. We can start with Mabel but it'll be probably filled with glitter, and rainbows." Dipper made a face at that. So much glitter.

Dana chuckled, shaking her head, "Yeah no, newbie. We're starting with animals."

"Animals?" Dipper groaned, "But- but that's lame. Can't we start with Mabel or Soos! Soos, his mind's pretty simple."

Dana squinted at him, "Did you just call your friend stupid?"

"Simple. I called him simple." Dipper clarified.

"..Right. Well uh, lets start with something small." She glanced around, "Where's the pig?"

"Waddles? He's usually with Mabel."

They went back inside and up to the attic to find Mabel still asleep, Waddles curled up at the feet of her bed. Dana picked it up, while Dipper shook the sleeping girl awake.

"Mabel. Mabel wake up."

She groaned, and lazily slapped his hand.

"Mabel.." Dipper huffed, "The two boys from your stupid movie are here to marry you. Also, Waddles is being kidnapped."

In an instant, Mabel shot up, and locked on to her pig. "Waddles!" She shouted and leaped into the air, knocking Dipper over and crashing into Dana.

"Waddles! What did I tell you to do when you're getting kidnapped?" Mabel said, cuddling her pig. The animal looked blankly at her and oinked. "Right, but with a little bit more fear and louder."

"Ugh, can you get off me?" Dana groaned.

"Oh." Mabel got up and returned to her bed placing Waddles on her lap. "And hey, where are Xyler and Craz?"

"Mabel, they're not real." Dipper said, brushing himself off.

His twin pouted, "Dipper you shouldn't do those things to a fangirl. It would completely obliterate their hopes, and they'll be left crying in a corner rethinking their whole life."

"Uh.. yeaah can we borrow Waddles for a second."

Mabel instantly clutched the pig possessively, "Why? What for?"

"Dipper's gunna invade his mind and turn your pig into a vegetable." Dana answered.

Mabel gasped and held the pig away from him.

"What? No! I just need him to practice.. invading his mind- ok not like that- ok maybe a little but it's for a good purpose. Mabel please?"

She pursed her lips and looked at Waddles, "Ok.. Only if I can too. I always wanted to know what he thinks about me."

"No." Dana said, crossing her arms.

"Yes."

"Dipper!"

"Don't worry. It won't be that bad, and besides Mabel should learn this stuff too. In case something happens."

Dana frowned, "Fine. Only because you're right. Mabel, set the pig down, Dipper get the journal."

She complied and the three kids sat around the pig in a circle. If anyone were to look, they would've thought this was some sort of ritual satanic cult. Dipper handed the book to Dana and she flipped it open to the correct page.

"Alright Dipper, you've seen me do this before. It's not that complicated, (and you survived going into your uncle's mind) so a pig shouldn't be that complicated." Dana said, handing him the journal.

"Wait, can we both go inside at the same time?" Dipper asked.

Dana shrugged, "You did it with your uncle. Don't worry, I'll wake the pig up when I feel like it."

"That sounds comforting." Dipper let out a breath, and placed a hand on the pigs forehead, Mabel doing the same.

"I wonder what he thinks in there! Maybe corn.. or world domination." Mabel mused.

Dipper turned to Dana, "So, what do I do when I'm inside?"

"I dunno. Practice, familiarize yourself with the mindscape. If you're not careful, you'll get lost. It happens, really."

Dipper nodded, "Ok.. Fidentus omnium-"

"Wait!" Mabel shouted, holding her hands up in the air. She pointed at Dana, "Is your brother single?"

Dana blinked in confusion, "..What?"

"Is he single?" Mabel repeated.

Dipper groaned and covered his face with a hand, "Mabel no."

"Is he.. what?! No! Wait I mean yes, but no- why are you even asking?" Dana spluttered, evident bewilderment on her face.

Mabel rolled her eyes, "Girl, your brother is capital H-O-T, hot."

"Mabel he's like four years older than us." Dipper said.

"So? He's cute." She shot back, as if that reason was justification enough.

Dana shook her head, "I didn't need to hear that."

Mabel huffed crossing her arms, "Oh come on, you gotta admit your brother is cute from a sister's point of view."

"No, that's like me saying Dipper is cute."

Dipper bit the inside of his cheek. "Can we just get started?"

"Yeah." Dana nodded, "Hand on the pig."

Dipper placed his hand on the pig's forehead, Mabel doing the same.

"Catch you on the flipside." Dipper said to Dana, and began.

 " _Fidentus omnium. Magister mentium. Magnesium ad hominem. Magnum opus. Haebeas corpus. Inceptus Nolanus overrates. Magister mentium. Magister mentium! Magister mentium!"_   He chanted, his eyes glowing bright and the room darkening.

A bright flash of light, and the two twins slumped over sound asleep, the pig laying between them on its back, little legs in the air. Dana stared at the pig, her stomach growling but she got up and went to the door. She glanced back, wondering maybe if she should stay incase something happens, but they were in a pig's mind. The worst thing that could happen is Waddles snorting. And that actually was nothing.

The kids would be safe, and with that thought she slipped down the stairs to actually do her job. Which she hated by the way. Bill was starting to get impatient, and suspicious. For a demon that is immortal, he sure wasn't patient. You'd think he had all the time in the world, but Bill sounded stressed, and she didn't know why. It kind of unnerved her to see the demon acting that way, when he was usually so cool and collected. Well, most of the time.

Stan was already up. She could hear him in the kitchen making coffee. Avoiding the area, she crept down the hallway to his office. Surely he kept some information about his odd affiliation. When inside the office, she got to work quietly snooping around. Opening shelves and folders, she filed through papers, unsurprisingly a large amount of taxes and fees.

Dana scoured the office, but came up with nothing. Not even the locked drawers she managed to pick gave her anything useful. Empty handed, she exited the room. At least she looked like she was trying. Maybe that'll get Bill of her case. Literally, he's been pretty agitated and when he's like that he's more prone to violent tendencies. All directed at her. She swore he did it just to spite her.

Now, time for her true mission. She figured it being so early, no one would be in the gift shop were the vending machine was. She was wrong. Upon entering the shop, she was so focused on getting to the machine that she jumped when someone called her name.

"Dana? What are you doing here so early?"

Dana spun around to face Wendy, who was hanging up her coat.

"Whoa- I uh- I had a sleepover with Mabel." Dana thought up quickly.

Wendy chuckled and went to sit at her usual spot behind the desk. "How did that go? I bet lots of girly stuff right?"

"Something like that." Dana kept glancing at the vending machine, hoping that Wendy would just leave.

"You want a snack?" Wendy asked, noticing the girl's flittering glances. The two walked over to the machine, and Wendy chewed on her bottom lip. "Mmh, Mabel knows an awesome trick to this where she use her elbows and does whoosh whoosh whoosh and bam, free food."

While Wendy was talking, Dana walked up to the vending machine and did the technique. Two packs of nuts fell, and she pulled them out, handing one to the teen.

"Whaat, Mabel taught you? Man, I keep forgetting to ask her." Wendy complained, heading back to the counter. "Hey, where are you going?" She asked, when she noticed Dana making her way back to the hallway.

"Back up. I think they're awake by now."

"Ok, but can I ask you something first?" Wendy said, uncharacteristically nervous.

"Um.. sure. What is it?"

"I was just wondering.. How cool are you with your brother right now?"

Dana frowned, "What do you mean?"

Wendy bit her lip, "Well, I mean I don't know you or your family at all and I don't know what's going on.. So I didn't want to make it weird or anything if I asked him to come with me and my friends camping. That is if you guys are staying for long.. Which I wanted to ask you about too. You said you lived here, but your brother said you guys were just in town for the festival."

"I do live here.. What exactly did he tell you?"

"Nothing bad. Nothing about you or anything." Wendy quickly replied.

Dana nodded, "Well, you should know he's a pathological liar and anything he says is most definitely a lie. So, whatever he told you is not the truth."

"So you guys _do_ live here." Wendy said, "That's so weird how I've never meet you guys or even your parents. This town is kinda small, if you don't count the city near by."

"We don't go out much.. You said something about camping?"

Wendy perked up, "Yeah, you remember my friends at the concert? We're all going Scuttlebutt island for the weekend, and I was wondering if Conner wanted to come."

"Conner?.." Dana said, cocking her head.

"Yeah, your brother."

Oh. Oh right.

"Conner.." She tasted the name. It sounded so weird saying it. "No. He doesn't want to go. Actually if you want my advice you shouldn't even talk to him at all. You know what, just ignore him. Stay as far away from him as humanely as possible. He's not someone you want to be friends with, trust me. And- and why do you even want him to go? You barely know him."

Wendy shrugged, "I don't know. You describe him like he's some kind of bad guy but he seems pretty chill to me." The teen gave her a sympathetic look, "Look, I get it. Having a sibling. I have four brothers, and I don't even know how I'm still alive.. Whatever your brother did, might not be that bad. Believe me, I didn't talk to my youngest brother for a  whole month just because he ate the last slice of pizza which by the way I made it clear it was mine. Ok, I'm getting off track but what I want to say is that this whole thing is gonna blow over, and you'll realize how silly it is."

"I guess." Dana said quietly. "But Wendy, you _should_ stay away from him. I know he might seem charming, and nice but.. He's not. He's really not."

"Oh. So he's one of _those_ guys."

"Those guys? What are you talking about?"

Wendy smiled, "You know, those guys. The boy who leads a girl on and then breaks her heart."

Dana thought about that and nodded her head, "Yeah you could say so, except he's 10 times worse. He'll chew you up and leave nothing of you behind." Literally.

"God, Tambry would love him." Wendy mumbled, "But if it's just that you don't have to worry. I'm done with boys. I'm in a strong relationship with my hat, Lumber. We're already two weeks in and going strong." She patted the lumberjack hat that she always wore.

Dana squinted, "Right.. Hey how long have I been down here?"

"I don't know, 5, ten minutes. Why?"

But Dana was already out of the shop, a flash of her hair disappearing down the hallway.

 

 

Dipper honestly didn't know what to expect when entering into a pigs mind. It turns out, nothing much. Just a grassy field with mud pools scattered here and there. Oddly, the Mystery Shack was in there too, but it looked different. More like a barn. A Mystery Barn. Dipper summed it up to be that Waddles was an animal, and had a short attention span. Not to mention the fact he's only known the shack which was his whole world.

And to no ones surprise there were a lot of Mabels. Not in memories, but in actually Mabel clones running around doing the usual Mabel craziness. It felt like hours doing nothing but watch his sister have fun till he felt a tug. Another strong tug and he and Mabel went flying up into the air. A bright flash of light and he found himself on the floor of his room.

He groaned and sat up, rubbing his stiff neck.

"How'd it go?" Dana asked, releasing Waddles from her hold. The pig strangely scrammed, scampering out of the room as fast as his little feet could take him.

"Awesome! I didn't know Waddles thought so much about me!" Mabel answered, evidently happy.

"It might've been for fun you but all I did was sit around. And where were you? We were in there for hours." Dipper said, turning his attention to his friend.

Dana shook her head, "Dipper you guys were only in there for 10 minutes. It's.. how do I explain it. It's different in there. Time wise, that is."

"Like the Matrix." Mabel said.

Dipper groaned, "Nooo. Just no. You didn't even watch the movies."

"I watched the trailers. That counts."

"OK." Dana interrupted them, "You guys get it though, right?"

The siblings nodded their heads.

Dipper rolled his neck, hearing the satisfying pop of bone, "I don't get how this is going to help. I know already how to enter someone's mind. What I don't know, and what you say is dangerous is destroying Bill's magic, demon spell thingy... We really need to make a name for that."

"Bill pyramids!" Mabel suggested, "Bowties, eyeballs, Doritos, Cipher Nipher-"

"Doritos. We're just gonna call them Doritos." Dana cut her off. She rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on. "And yeah.. you're right Dipper. Unfortunately, I'm not a dream demon so I can't give you an example of a Dorito and how to get rid of it." She bit her lip, "I'll think of something, but for now we're continuing with animals. Where's the goat?"

Dipper shrugged. He didn't know where the animal is. Actually, come to think of it, Gompers just.. shows up. They don't have a place for him in the shack, and the goat isn't really their pet, unlike Waddles. He just comes and goes. It still is a mystery how it gets in the shack.

"Kids! Breakfast!" Stan's voice yelled from the kitchen. "Hurry, it's on fire!"

"And that's our Uncle. Our adult caretaker." Dipper deadpanned, as Mabel ran down the stairs. He got up and walked Dana to the triangle window. "See you later?"

"Catch you on the flipside." She said smiling, repeating what he said.

She clicked open the window and had one foot out before Dipper spoke again.

"Wait!"

She stopped and looked at him. "Uh.." he twiddled his thumbs, his cheeks warming. "You don't.. You don't think I'm cute?"

Dana blinked, her lips parting. ".. Oh. I.. course I do. Don't be weird." She laughed nervously and punched his arm out of habit. "Bye."

She jumped off the window quickly. Even though he knew she was fine, it still made his heart skip a beat. So to calm his nerves he waited to watch her walk away, no broken legs or anything. As if knowing he was watching, she turned around and gave him a short wave. He waved back, and stayed by the window until she was no longer in sight.

"Dipper you're pancakes melting! Get down here and eat it before it's too late!" Stan yelled again.

"Coming!" Dipper tore his eyes away from the woods and went to the kitchen before the rest of his pancake could melt.

 

 

Dana, for the love of everything, hoped of all hopes that she would come back to an empty cave. Course, that didn't happen.

"Elizabe-"

"Get out." She said bluntly. Why is he still here? Jonathan isn't dense, he knows when he's not wanted.

Conner pouted, "But I made breakfast."

Dana's eyes widened in horror, "WHAT? Who did you kill!?" Oh shit, oh fuck how could she let this happen? Oh this is bad, this is very bad-

Conner laughed, "I didn't kill anyone, relax. See?" He motioned to the table where two cups of instant ramen were, steam rising from the hot noodles.

A bucket of relief washed over her, and she rubbed her eyes. "Oh thank god." She didn't personally care for the people of Gravity Falls, but she made it a point not to eat anyone. She wasn't going to let her brother come in here and ruin that. "And those are my noodles, don't touch them."

He clicked his tongue, "Really Elizabeth, I can't even touch your noodles now?"

"Yes, and stop calling me that. It's Dana now." Annoyed, she passed him to raid the fridge for a pop.

"Dana? That's a horrendous name."

She scoffed, "You're a horrendous name."

He crossed his arms, "That doesn't even make sense."

She slammed the fridge door closed, making it shake. "Get. Out."

"Eliza-"

"Dana!"

Conner threw up his arms, "Fine! Dana. You can't keep pushing me away. We haven't seen each other for- for over 80 years!"

"80 years too soon. Get out."

Conner made a noise of frustration, "Don't tell me you're still on about what happened. You know you should go see a therapist. That's called PTSD." 

The bottle in her hand shattered, and she cursed at the wasted beverage. "No. No I got over that years ago, because you know being fucking immortal gives you a lot of FUCKING time to get over my stupid problems! And- and _I_ should see a therapist? How about you check yourself in to a mental hospital and just fucking die!"

_Issues man. Chill._

His jaw twitched, "Look, I'm sorry. I am. I don't know what.. I don't know what happened to me."

Dana snorted, "Oh right, of course. You didn't know what happened to you. Hey, I almost raped my sister but fuck it, I was not mentally there. So sorry for the misunderstanding."

Conner's nostrils flared, "You're one to talk! Remember what you did to Gabriel-"

"SHUTUP!" She screamed. She had enough! This is her home, her fucking territory. She wasn't going to let her brother come here and take it all like he usually does. This is _her_ place. Her home! "Leave! Get out of here! I don't want you here!"

"I can't leave! You can't ask me that. I've been searching for you my whole life and now that I've found you, you can't ask me to leave! I can't.. You're my sister. I can't leave you." Conner said, his fist shaking at his sides. "I just- I just want you back. You're all I have."

Dana wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and yell and rip him to pieces and probably eat him. But she couldn't do any of that. No, no she just wanted him to disappear. Poof! Out of her life and out of existence.

"I hate you." She choked out, her eyes watering. "Go away. Just leave. Don't _ever_ come back." She had her eyes trained on the ground, refusing to show him her tears. A heavy silence laid on them, smothering them.

"Fine." He said finally, his voice wavering. He turned on his heels and marched to the tunnel.

"Conner."

He stopped, and looked back.

"If you hurt anyone in this town, I will kill you."

They stared at each other, cold blue and sad blue. Conner didn't say anything, and she slumped to floor when she could no longer hear his footsteps.

 

 

"Hey dude thanks for helping me clean this up."

Wendy dunked the mop back into the bucket, wiping her forehead. Some kid puked after eating one of Stan's Mystery Candy, and will remain a mystery because she wasn't gonna eat it to find out what it is. Wearing yellow gloves, Dipper got up from scrubbing the floor.

"No problem." He dumped the scrub into the bucket and slapped off his gloves, shoving them in the over-stuffed garbage can (that Wendy will get to dumping it someday when she feels like it). They went to the register desk, and she took her usual seat, Dipper hopping onto the table.

"Can I see your phone?" Dipper asked.

"Go ahead bro." She lifted her butt and pulled it out, handing it to him. Dipper already knew the passcode, and she knew most people didn't trust other people with their code (not even their moms) but Dipper is one of those people that you could trust them no to go digging through your pictures or history. Not that she had anything to hide. Unlike Robbie. Oh god checking his history was a mistake. It still makes her laugh out loud whenever she thinks about it.

"Here. Check this out." Dipper propped the phone on the cashier and they spent the rest of her shift watching gross zit popping videos on YouTube.

"Aw gross, augh my eyes." Wendy moaned, snickering as puss spurted out. "Look this has 1 million views. Why do people even watch this? It's so gross."

Dipper laughed, "We're watching this. It's entertaining."

They went on from watching gross stuff to a kitten compilation, then to a fail compilation. A costumer came up, and she had to stop and actually work. When the costumer left, she kicked her feet up and leaned back, balancing the chair on its legs.

"So.. When are you going to ask Dana out?" She asked nonchalantly. It had the desired affect since Dipper spluttered, his cheeks warming.

"What? Dana, date what who when is it hot in here? It's hot in here. What happened to the air conditioner?"

Wendy snickered, "Dude we don't have an air conditioner. Stan's too cheap to get one. And chill, I was just asking."

"Why, why, why do you wanna know? I'm not- me and her. I don't- ha ha what are we talking about again?"

Wendy rolled her eyes, "Dana. I know you like her, and she likes you too. I think." It was hard to tell. Dana had that resting bitch face syndrome that made it look like she was pissed off most of the times.

"Ask her out? No. No way. Nope." Dipper said, crossing his arms.

"Why not? Mabel got her love thing going on. You should go for it. Is it because your scared because believe me, if Robbie can ask me out then I'm sure you can too." That day at the carnival.. her eye still kinda hurts. It didn't feel like she got hit one time; it felt like multiple times.

"It's.. not that." Dipper scratched his arm, "I just.. I dunno how to explain it. I like her more as a friend. Not like a friend, but like a friend. Ok, that didn't make any sense."

"No, no that did. I get it. Man, you guys have that Wes Anderson going on." Wendy glanced at the clock, "Whoa, time to go. See ya." She made it a point never to work over-time, not just because Stan didn't pay for that, but because she didn't want to waste another second working. Hey, she's a lazy person and she's ok with it.

She heard Dipper say bye to her as she snatched her coat and flew out the door. The sun was already making its way down, and she pulled her coat tighter to her as the chill of the forest seeped into her body. Heading to her beat up car, she flipped out her phone and sent a quick text to all her friends asking what they were doing.

**Tambry: srry dude busy with Robbie ;P**

**Nate: Can't with fam**

**Lee: workin remember?**

**Thompson: will everyone else be there?**

She didn't bother sending one to Robbie. It's cool that he got over their break up, and he found someone else, which happened to be Tambry, but it would be still awkward if they hung out just the two of them. Tambry was right, don't date friends. It kinda ruins the relationship afterwards. And Tambry is a hypocrite by the way.

Guess everyone is busy (she's gonna pretend Thompson never texted back) so that means the rest of the day chillin in her house. Nothing to do. Or.. she could go on a solo adventure. She checked her phone battery; 87% not bad. You know what, she still got some blunt in the trunk of her car. She could get rid of that.

Instead of going home, she drove down to a secret place the local police didn't even know existed. Stoner Canyon. Usually there were some stray teenagers there, but today it was empty. She exited the car and walked down the steep hill, her boots crunching down on leaves. At the bottom, between two canyons (hence the name) looked to be a hobo camp, but it was actually just a lot of furniture that culminated over time. It's a mystery how all these things got down here.

She stuck her phone in a phone player, which everyone came to a decision not to steal and it was for everybody's use, and put it on shuffle.

_~... I'm lazy, lazy, lazy but I don't give a damn..~_

Yes, her favorite song. Alright phone good job. She plopped down on a dirty couch and pulled out a blunt, popping it into her mouth. She reached into one of her coat pockets to get a lighter but she stopped. Dammit she forget she let Nate borrow it.

She jumped when a flame ignited, burning the tip.

"Sorry, looks like you didn't have a light."

"Oh shit.. Oh my god you scared me." Wendy sucked and blew out, coughing a little bit. Her heart was beating fast from the unexpected jump scare.

Conner grinned a charming grin and bent over the couch, letting himself fall over so he was sitting upside down, legs up. "Can I have some?"

"Yeh." She handed it to him, and position herself to lay upside down like him, her head hanging off the seat.

He inhaled and smoke blew out from his mouth as well from his nose.

"Your sister said you guys lived here." Wendy said, letting the drug flow through her brain.

Conner took another hit and laughed, "She did? What else did she say?" He handed it back to her.

"That you're a liar. A pathological liar."

Conner hummed, "Well.. you shouldn't believe anything she says. She's a pathological liar too."

Wendy laughed, "For all I know you could be lying to me."

"Or she could be lying to you." Conner said.

"Man you guys really hate each other." Wendy exhaled and placed the joint down. "You're worse than me and my brothers."

"You have no idea." Conner mumbled, closing his eyes. They let the music dominate the silence and the drug take them higher than the tips of the highest trees.

"I usually don't do this. Smoke with strangers." Wendy clarified.

Conner shifted his head to look at her, "We're not strangers. We met already."

"Yeah but you could be, like a serial killer or something."

Conner smirked, "Did Dana tell you that?"

"No."

"Well you don't have to worry. I'm a lover, not a killer."

Wendy laughed, "It's I'm a lover, not a fighter."

"Same thing." He shrugged, "Hey can I use your phone?"

"Uh, sure." She stretched over to reach it. "What happened to your phone?"

"Don't have one."

Wendy put in her passcode and handed it to him. "You don't? Geez do your parents live under a rock?"

"Yeah actually they do." Conner said.

She scooted closer to him, their shoulders brushing, and she looked at him open up Instagram. Her eyes widened, "You have 50 thousand followers? What do you take pictures of?"

"Myself. Because I'm conceited like that. Come here." He rested his head on her shoulder and took a picture of them.

"Can I see your pics?" Wendy asked.

"Go ahead." He handed her back the phone. It was silent as Wendy scrolled down his history of pictures. He wasn't kidding. Most of it was pics of his face, shirtless, or doing drugs. Basically a grunge boy's heaven. The other half, and very rare were pictures of landscapes of the wilderness.

"You have a Tinder?" Conner asked.

Wendy scrunched her face up, "No way. That's just weird. I prefer meeting guys in person."

"Lame. I love my Tinder. And Grinder. You should follow me on Instagram. I usually post when I steal someone's phone and before the cops can trace it."

"What?"

"Nothing." Conner rolled off the couch and walked to the small stream. Wendy followed, and they walked over rocks, their shoes splashing in the cold water.

She glanced at him, and frowned. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" How did she not notice that before?

Conner glanced at his exposed torso, as if he himself forgot that he was half naked. "Oh. Right. I forgot about that."

Wendy smiled at his strangeness (and tried not to stare at his abs), "You guys should convince your parents to go to public school. You would fit in with the group."

He brushed his hair back, "My dad won't let that happen. He thinks a boy should work and do manly stuff."

Wendy threw her head back and laughed, "Dude that sounds like my dad. He's so manly people call him Manly Dan."

"Manly Dan? Show me a picture." She did, and Conner whistled. "He can be my daddy anytime."

"Aw gross." She slapped his arm playfully, shaking her head. Wendy didn't know for a long they just wandered the woods, talking about random stuff. When she glanced at the sky, she was surprised to see it almost dark. They were by the lake, laying on the cold pebble shore, sharing a joint.

She looked at him and frowned, "You're bruise is gone."

"Mm?" Conner touched his chin, "Oh yeah. I'm like a superhero. I got the super healing factor. Like- like Deadpool."

Wendy snickered, "Yeah right. But no seriously, how did you heal so fast. It looked terrible."

"It's magic." He giggled, making her giggle too. "You see? Look, look." He raised his arm, and with a index finger nail dragged it vertically down the appendage. Blood streamed down, a stark contrast from his pale skin. He waited a moment before wiping the blood away, revealing no open wound.

Wendy stuck her tongue out, "Gross."

"You're not freaking out?"

She shrugged, "I've seen weirder things in Gravity Falls."

"Or maybe your high." Conner said.

"Ha, that too." Wendy bit her lip, "Hey.. I was wondering if you wanted to come with my and some friends camping?" Wendy was only inviting him because she felt kind of bad. This guy, he was cool and she could tell his parents were strict. Seriously, private schooling? She felt bad for him. "Your sister said you didn't want to go but I thought I should ask you personally."

Conner frowned, "No. I want to go."

"Cool. Your parents gonna be ok with it?"

He laughed as if she told him a joke, "Oh I'm _sure_ they'll be fine with it." He glanced at the darkening sky and frowned, "It's getting dark. You should go home."

Wendy blinked and looked at the sky too. "Oh.. Ok." She got up and started for the trees.

"Wendy."

She stopped and looked back.

"Be careful out there."

For some reason, maybe the way he said it, made chills go down her spine. She nodded her head and quickly made her way back to the car. She couldn't help but feel like the trees were hiding something in the dark.

 

 

Conner smelled her before he saw her. She was watching them from the tree line. But that wasn't what concerned him. It was the distinct smell of human blood that did. He frowned, and searched for anything to get Wendy out.

"It's getting dark. You should go home."

"Oh.. ok." Wendy got up and started for the trees, thankfully not in the direction of her.

"Wendy." He called out. She stopped and looked back at him.

"Be careful out there." It was the only advice he thought he could give her. She was nice, and he didn't want her to die immediately. She nodded her head, and he watched her pick up the pace. Once she was out of sight did his sister step out of the bushes.

"You're not going." Dana declared. "Stay away from them."

Conner sighed, "How'd you even find me." Oh wait. Right his blood. He keeps forgetting how sensitive they were to each other's blood.

She ignored his question, "Leave."

"No."

She growled lowly, "No?"

"Why should I? I'm not bothering you- you're actually the one who came to me. I want to stay here."

She scoffed, "Yeah? Well you can't. This is my place so you can't stay."

He shook his head, "Same blood. Same territory. You know that. I _can_ stay here."

She looked like she wanted to bite his head off, but Conner knew he was right. "And, anyways why didn't you tell me about this place. The air.. its smells fresher here." He noticed it the exact moment he stepped into Gravity Falls. The urge to eat.. it kind of went away. It shocked him.

"I know. It used too." She mumbled.

He cocked his head, "Used too? Eliza- Dana what are you talking about? It smells great."

She glared at him, "No. It doesn't. I don't know what you're smelling but I can't smell it. It's- it's going away from me." She screwed her eyes shut, a pained look crossing her face. "I- my stomach hurts. I'm so hungry."

Conner frowned, "When was the last time you ate?"

She laughed, but it sounded strained. "Years, years ago."

He pursed his lips, "Then why do I smell human blood on you."

She froze, and unconsciously wiped her mouth.

"Wait. Wait did you _eat_ someone?" Conner laughed. He couldn't believe it. Miss I don't eat people anymore because I'm a good person.

"No!" She shouted, "No I didn't. I just.. I went to the morgue ok. I didn't  _kill_ anyone."

Conner made a face, "Dead bodies taste horrible, you know that."

"Well I'm not going to kill anyone." She marched away, but Conner wasn't going to let her leave so early. "Leave me alone." She said when he caught up and walked beside her.

He rolled his eyes, "Eli- Dana you're hungry. I can go get someone for you-"

"No. Absolutely not. I _don't_ eat people anymore." She huffed, "Not people who were killed."

He laughed, running his fingers through his hair, "You're making this way more complicated than it has to be. Just eat someone."

She stopped in her tracks and snapped at him, "What is _wrong_ with you? Don't you care that you're _eating_ people?! Killing them!"

"You used to not care! What's wrong with _you_?" Conner shot back.

"I _had_ to eat. You know what would've happen if we didn't." She hissed.

"Well you wouldn't worry about that if you just ate."

"Easy for you to say. You _like_ eating people." Dana said, resuming her walking.

"And I'm ok with that. Come on Eliz-" He closed his eyes in irritation, "Dana. Dana." God he wasn't going to get used to that. "Why can't I call you Elizabeth?"

"Why can't you leave?"

"Fine!" Conner turned on his heels, and marched away. He's never felt so infuriated with someone. She was being difficult. "But I'm still staying here!" He shouted at her.

"No you're not!" She shouted back.

"Yes I am!"

He heard her make a sound of frustration, "I hate you!"

Conner didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, he changed into his more natural form and ran away from the sting of her words. Maybe it was a mistake coming here. He should've never come here. But deep down, he knew he couldn't live with himself if he didn't see her one last time. Despite her anger and her harsh words, he was happy they were together. Maybe not like he hoped, but it was something.

He wasn't going to leave. Not anytime soon. Hell, he wouldn't leave for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER. I was busy with school.. and well I got Far Cry 4.. OK but really sorry (please don't eat me) Here's a song:
> 
> Dog Teeth - Nicole Dollanganger  
> Moi Je - Fias Rien


	18. All Hail Gompers the Goat

"Just. Hold. Still!" Dana grunted as the goat rear-kicked her chin, prompting her to release the hold she had on the animal. Gompers scampered away, dodging Mabel who tried to jump on it. Dipper yelped as the goat ran him over and climbed up the shack till it stood on the slanted roof. 

Dipper sat up rubbing his bruised cheek. His hat had fallen off, and he grabbed it and placed it back on his head. It always felt weird not wearing it; felt like being naked. 

"I don't understand, Gompers is never like this." He said, "What's his problem?" 

"Maybe he's having a bad goat day.. Can goats even get bad goat days?" Mabel said as the three got up and approached the shack where said goat blinked down at them. 

Dana huffed and crossed her arms, "Well, he's going to have to suck it up. Who's going up there?" 

"Not it!" Mabel blurted out. 

"Not it!" Dana and Dipper said in unison. They glared at each other. 

"Rock, Paper, Scissors." Dipper said, holding up his hands.

Dana did the same thing, "Ok.. Rock.. Paper.. Scissors!" She cheered when she got a scissor, cutting his paper. "Ha! Get up there sucker."

"What if I fall?" He protested, not really up to climbing the house.

Dana shrugged nonchalantly, "Mabel'll break your fall."

"Hey!" Mabel exclaimed. Dipper groaned in defeat and started climbing up the oddly structured shack. How the goat managed to get on top flawlessly was a mystery, since he had to scour ever nook and ridge for leverage and by the time he got on the roof he was out of breath. During his climb, Gompers had not moved an inch, but kept a firm eye on the boy.

"Good goat.. Stay there.." He said, cautiously approaching the tense animal. "Ok.. Ok.." At the last moment, he leaped forward and landed on the animal. It shrieked and thrashed its body around but he had a strong grasp. That is in between the chaotic struggle, Dipper slipped, and the goat as well as himself when over the edge.

"Ah!" Dipper felt his heart leap out of his chest. The feeling of being weightless lasted for seconds before he collided with something hard. He groaned sitting up. His whole body felt sore, and whatever he landed on was not soft at all- Which happened to be Mabel who looked equally as bad as he felt. 

"Whoo, man that was close!" Dana breathed, "Nice catch." 

"Aw no problem, I used to play little league football." Soos said, holding the goat in his arms, and because of his thick muscle mass, he pinned the goat in place. The man-child turned to the twins, "You guys ok?" 

"Fine." Mabel said feebly, relief evident on her face when Dipper got off her. He helped her up and brushed dust of her sweater of the day which happened to be a stitching of a brain, with different colors showing the different sections of the brain.

"Your sister's bleeding." Dana suddenly said in a weird, monotonous voice.

"Ow.." Mabel hissed as if on cue, glancing down at her knee. Dipper bent down and examined the leg. He frowned when he saw blood trickle down from nasty looking scratches.  

"C'mon." he said, leading his sister to the shack, Dana and Soos (with Gompers) following them. In the kitchen they went, and he sat her down and went to get the med-kit. 

"I'll be waiting for you guys." Dana said, gesturing for Soos to follow her up to the attic.

"Yeah." Dipper acknowledge, shuffling through the cupboard and taking out a red plastic box with a health symbol on it. He walked back to Mabel and pulled out the Neosporin.

"Aw do you have to put that? It stings." Mabel pouted.

Dipper squeezed out the anti-bacterial onto the open wound, "Yes, this'll prevent infection."

Mabel winced and sat back, "Germaphobe." 

"Someone has to be." Dipper muttered, slapping a band-aid on the cut. He closed the med-kit and placed it back in its rightful place. "I thought Dana was joking when she said you'll break my fall." 

Mabel smoothed out her hair and she said quietly, "I thought so to. She.. pushed me - I guess to be directly under you." 

The twins looked at each other worriedly, Dipper more troubled with the lack of care that Mabel, and he himself could of been hurt. Mabel actually did get hurt, and he hated seeing his sister hurt in anyway. 

"Hey guys, Dana's waiting for you upstairs." Soos said, appearing from the doorway. 

The twins blinked out of whatever trance they were in and Dipper nodded, "Oh ok." The two walked past Soos and up to the attic. To his surprise, Gompers was sitting obediently in the middle of the room. 

"How?.." Dipper muttered.

Dana had her back to them, and turned around quickly, pulling down her sleeve. "Oh, I gave the goat some of your crackers Mabel. I think it calmed him down." 

"Aww.. was it the animals crackers?" Mabel complained. 

"Yeah, sorry about that." Dana apologized, as the twins sat down around the goat. "Alright, same thing as last time. And don't worry, I'll get you guys out early this time." 

The twins placed their hands on the goat's furry forehead, and Dipper felt slightly uneasy at the weird way its vertical eye was looking at him; blank and glossy. He started the chant but stopped. 

"Can I- can I go in after Mabel?" He asked. 

Dana cocked her head, "Yeah, sure. Mabel just say the enchantment. Dipper can hop in later." 

"Ok." Mabel cleared her throat and recited the words. The room darkened, Mabel and Gomper's eyes glowing bright blue and then they were slouched over, sound asleep. 

"Do you want something?" Dana asked, turning to Dipper. 

He swallowed, clearing his throat, "Yeah about what happened outside.." 

"Sorry. I didn't mean for your sister to get hurt." Dana cut him off, "I just.. I forgot how frail mortality is." 

"It was reckless." Dipper said. 

Dana laughed, "Wow, I'm the one getting lectured now. And I'm supposed to be the adult here." 

He was taken aback by her statement. He suddenly realized that Dana _is_ a grown up, sort of. How did he forget that? And now that he's thinking about it.. it was kind of awkward. He never took it into thought that she was immortal- that she's supposed to be in her forties or fifties right now. It irked him. 

"Won't happen again. Now, get in the goats head." She said.

He exhaled, and placed his hand on the unconscious animal's forehead. He started the chant, but stopped when Dana placed a hand on his hand. 

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I'll be more careful." She said, her face serious. 

"Ok." Dipper whispered, and she smiled at him, taking her hand off. He began the chant, the room darkening. 

"I'll wake you up soon." Was the last thing he heard as a bright white flash blinded him and took him in.

 

 

Dipper expected this trip to be boring like the last one. Now, he _wished_ it was boring like the last one. 

"Mabel?" He called, his voice echoing repeatedly like in a cave. For all he knew he could be in a cave, but it was hard to tell. Everything was just so dark. He couldn't see the ground or anything. "Mabel!" He called out again. 

_Mabel... Mabel... Mabel... Mabel... **mabel** ~~  
~~_

Dipper's blood went cold. The last echo.. it wasn't his voice. 

A scream pierced the air, startling Dipper so bad. "Mabel!" He yelled, and oh god it sounded like her voice. He knew her scream, heard it plenty of times watching scary movies or when spiders decided to live in her room and he was the hero who killed them with his shoe by chucking it. "Mabel!" He yelled, running blindly in the general direction he heard her voice. 

"Mabel!" He needed to find her! Oh god he needed to find her and make sure she is ok. The thought of his sister in trouble- in pain made him run faster. He only stopped to catch his breath, and that was when he realized he couldn't hear her screams anymore. Dipper blinked back the burning tears, and he whipped his head back and forth, turning in circles. No no nono! 

"Mabel!" He screamed, but only silence greeted him back. "Mabel say something!" This had to be some kind of prank. Mabel was hiding somewhere and she's going to pop out and yell surprise and everything'll be fine. "MABEL!" He screamed his lungs out. No response. Just silence. 

His throat hurt but he yelled, "Dana!" Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong. "Dana!" No use, she can't hear him. In the real world he must be passed out asleep. 

He gripped his head and looked around. Nothing- nothing nothing just darkness and Mabel was out there somewhere hurt or- or. This time hot tears slipped down his cheeks and he didn't stop them. Dipper's never felt gripping fear like this and it scared him so much. He felt helpless, and Mabel- where is she?! 

A loud rushing noise invaded his ears, like the sound of an ocean's tide. It was so loud Dipper had to cover his ears, screwing his eyes shut too. The sensation of falling made him open his eyes. He was no longer surrounded in darkness, but in a bright place. More specifically he was falling from the sky. How he could tell it was a sky was because he glimpsed puffy white clouds in the blueness. 

He screamed all the way down, his body twisting and turning. Somehow he managed to position himself correctly- only to see water and sand and he's engulfed. He sank to the bottom like a missile. His brain felt foggy and he couldn't focus clearly. He cracked his eyes open, seeing blurry bubbles rise to the surface. A dark shape emerged from the corners of his vision, and something splashed into the water. It swam closer and closer to him, but his vision was growing darker and darker. 

Dipper doesn't remember what happened after that. Everything was just a blur. He must of passed out a few times, and in between consciousness he caught glimpses of his surroundings. Breaking through water, seeing the blue sky, voices speaking in an unidentifiable language. He was on a ship- or a boat -or something. He remembered asking for Mabel, have they seen a girl who looked exactly like him, always wear a sweater, has braces, laughs like an idiot and is the best thing in his life. 

When he came to, he was laying down on something soft. A soft breeze caressed his face, and he smelled some kind of rich, burning spicy scent. His eyes fluttered open, and instinctively he squinted against a harsh light. Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he slowly sat up and took in his surroundings. First thing he noted was that he was on a bed. It actually looked more like an old fashion, Egyptian couch.

Another breeze caught his attention, and he noticed there were red silk drapers hanging all around him, like a bed canopy. He swung his legs off, noting he was barefoot (did he loose his shoes in the fall?) and walked to an opening in the curtains. With one hand, he pushed the drape away and stepped outside.

"Whoa.." Dipper mouthed. Before him, was a vast view of a desert, but that wasn't what got him speechless. It was the huge pyramid that cast a large shadow over them, as the long boat slowly passed it. Tanned men stood at the edges of the boat, wearing only skirts- or wait what did his history teacher said it was? Shendyt or something. A large burning bowl was placed in the middle of the boat, two girls dressed in fine silk throwing herbs into the flames. 

 _So that must be where the smell is coming from._ Dipper thought to himself. Everything felt so surreal, and Dipper would've pinched himself if he didn't remember he was not asleep, well not really, and he was in a  _goats_ mind. For a goat Gompers has a very wild imagination... 

No one seemed to notice his presence yet, and Mabel was still missing. One of them has to know where she is. Hopefully safe and sound. Dipper walked down the three short steps to one of the girls. 

"Uh.." He cleared his throat, "Excuse me but I came here with this girl, looks exactly like me. Have you seen her?" 

The girl halted mid-throw, and turned around to face Dipper. She looked definitely Egyptian, with black thick hair, curved eyeliner, and golden eye shadows, but what caught his interest was her golden eyes that seemed to shine in the sunlight. 

She instantly bowed, "Dipper Pines of Gravity Falls, I hope your sleep was well?" 

"Uh.." Dipper blushed, not expecting that welcoming. "Yeah it was, it was fine. You know who I am?" 

She straightened back up, "We all know you and your great journeys. Come, you must be hot in those clothes." 

Now that she mentioned it, he was practically cooking in his vest, and his shorts weren't doing him no good. Though it was loose, the desert heat made him sweaty in all the wrong places that shouldn't be sweaty. Really uncomfortable. The girl walked back to where he woke up and Dipper had to jog to catch up.

"Hey! Where am I? What is all this? Where's Mabel?" Dipper ticked off. Everything was going too fast and he needed to slow down and get some answers. 

They entered the canopy, and from a small wooden chest, the girl pulled out folded clothes and set it on the bed/couch. "In time your questions will be answered. Please, get dressed. We are approaching Edfu soon, and you must look re-presentable for our King." 

"Edfu? King?" Dipper muttered in bewilderment, "Wait what are you talking about? Is Mabel there?" 

"Patience Dipper Pines. All will be answered soon." The girl said calmly. 

"Wait-" But she left him to change. Dipper was worried, confused, and slightly excited all at once. Mabel was still missing, but he couldn't do nothing about that now. He just hoped she was ok and waiting for him at this Edfu place. 

He got changed quickly, grateful to get out of his sticky clothing. He was not too happy that he was left to wear a skirt- Shendyt. Flat sandals were left for him beside the bed, which he didn't notice when he woke up. He put those on and walked back outside. The two girls were no longer throwing plants into the fire, but standing at the front of the boat. Dipper took pleasure in gazing at the wondrous scene. 

He's never been to Egypt before, and seeing it now was just breath taking. Course this was coming from a goats mind so it might not be depicted realistically, but it was pretty darn good. Dipper always wanted to see the pyramids, and like some great explorer, traverse through the tunnels and look for mummies and probably get cursed. As a child, he was fascinated with learning the Egyptian hieroglyphics, and he and Mabel used to use that as their secret language instead of making one up like normal kids. 

His eyes traced the long river all the way to a small blurb. He squinted his eyes, and as the boat got steadily closer, he realized it was another pyramid, and what looked like a city surrounding it. 

"That is Edfu. Our city, and the home of our great Pharaoh." The girl said, standing beside him. 

Dipper jumped in surprise, resting a hand over his beating heart. "Jeez how did you-" He looked back and forth from where he saw her standing to her now sudden teleportation right next to him. 

"I'm sorry, did I scare you Dipper Pines." She asked. 

"No, ha no. And you can just call me Dipper." He said, "What's your name?" 

"Nefertara Meriunda of the Great Isles. But you can call me Nefertara." She said giving him a sideways smile. 

"Wow Gompers what have you been reading." Dipper muttered. 

"What?" Nefertara asked. 

"Oh nothing, nothing." Dipper didn't know if it was one of those situations where telling the people their whole existence was inside a goat's mind was a good idea. They probably think they really exist, and all of this was real. That made Dipper wonder if his world was just inside someone else's mind. Now that was a theory he didn't want to think about. 

After a while, they finally reached the walls of the city. The men docked the boat and tied it. He and Nefertara climbed off the boat to an odd looking carriage that seemed to be waiting for them. The driver whipped the reins, making the horses advance in a steady trot. 

"Where are you taking me?" Dipper asked, admiring the huge walls surrounding the city's borders. 

"To our Great Pharaoh. He has been expecting you." She answered vaguely. 

That explains a lot. "Do you think he knows where Mabel is?" 

Nefertara smiled, "He knows all. He will help you find your sister." 

The carriage veered right and they passed through huge wooden doors and into a busy street market. Sellers, merchants, and other crowded the area but like the Red Sea, they parted making way for the carriage. Dipper couldn't get enough. He stuck his head out, taking it all in. It all seemed so realistic. After he finds Mabel, and after Dana wakes them up, he was so coming back here. It was too awesome not to. 

Up slanted hills and streets they went, heading straight towards a large temple right in front of the pyramid. They slowed to a stop, and Nefertara got out, Dipper following suit. They walked towards the main entrance, Dipper straining his neck to see the top of the pyramid. It was so high he almost fell backwards. Up smooth stoned steps, Dipper glanced at the two soldiers standing at each sides. 

His eyes widened in shock, "Those- those are masks right?" 

Nefertara glanced at him and smiled, "They are the Pharaoh's royal guards, of course those are not masks." 

Dipper gulped at seeing what was once in pictures come to life. The guards were black, and not like the skin tone color black but oily black. Was that fur? And their heads were not masks. No they had actual dog heads. Dipper couldn't help but stare, and when one of them blinked he flinched and walked a little bit faster. 

The temple was huge and airy, various ceilings had openings to shine light down inside. There were two pillars lined in a row on each side, and in between was a long stretch of a pond, shaped in a rectangle. Dipper walked closely by it, peering the lily pads that floated on the surface of the water. 

"I wouldn't get too close. The crocodiles tend to bite." 

"What?!" Dipper squeaked, jumping away from the pond. 

Nefertara laughed and they walked to the very end of the long walkway, Dipper staying as far away from the pond as possible. At the end were more royal guards, standing stoic and straight per usual. They approached the throne and Nefertara kneeled. Dipper did the same, not wanting to offend the Pharaoh over something simple. 

"Dipper Pines of Gravity Falls! My friend, please no need for that. Stand, stand!" A booming voice filled the temple. Dipper hesitantly got up and got a good look at the Pharaoh. He was sitting on a well carved stone throne, and wore a silk white tunic laced with gold. Like the rest of the people here, he was tanned, and had a white goatee he stroked affectionately. 

"Nefertara, it seems you've brought the boy in good health. You must be tired from your journey. Rest for tonight." The Pharaoh said, and Nefertara bowed respectfully and left through a door on the side. 

"Dipper! Please come, have a seat." The Pharaoh clapped his hands, and two servants came in carrying platters of steaming food. Dipper sat down on one of the plush cushions, the Pharaoh sitting across from him. 

Two golden goblets were placed before them, and a servant poured a red liquid in it. Dipper took the cup gingerly in his hands, eager to parch his thirst. But he caught himself, and sniffed it, his face scrunching up. 

"Is this wine?" Dipper asked, taking a small sip and yep, yep it's wine. How he knows that was because his parents gave him some on New Years when he begged and begged to try it like any other curious kid. Course, he hated it.

He set the goblet down, "I can't drink alcohol. I'm underage." 

The Pharaoh laughed, and that was booming to. "Dipper my friend, it is not illegal when you're inside my mind." 

"Your mind?" Dipper questioned, grabbing a different goblet, this time filled with water. He gulped this one down, but between mid-drink his eyes widened and something in his mind clicked. He spewed out the water, "Gompers!?" 

The Pharaoh- Gompers threw his head back and laughed heartily. "You look so surprised!" 

Dipper wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Well yeah! You're- you're human!"

"And I look good don't I?" Gompers grinned, flashing pearly white teeth that looked creepily like goat teeth. 

Dipper shook his head bewildered, "How? What is going on?" 

"You're in my mind." Gompers said, taking a huge bite out of a loaf of bread.

"Yeah I know that, but- but what is going  _on_?" This is way too weird for his brain to handle, and he's seen a lot of weird things. Mostly from Mabel. 

Gompers frowned, "I do not understand your question." 

"You're a goat!" Dipper exclaimed. 

"Yes." 

"And you're human!"

"Yes." 

"And you're a Pharaoh!" 

"I think that's all obvious." Gompers mused. 

Dipper blew out air and stood up to start pacing back and forth. "This is insane." 

"No, what's insane is that you secretly feed Waddles your leftovers. What about me? I'm a starving animal too." Gompers said, waving around a drumstick. 

Dipper closed his eyes feeling a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples and sat back down, grabbing the wine thinking it is water and downed it, choking on the taste. He coughed and pounded his chest, his face turning red. 

"Agh- cough- gah!" Dipper finally managed to clear his throat, "Ok.. Ok." He muttered composing himself. "Gompers is human and a Pharaoh in his mind. In a goats mind." Saying it out loud made it even more stranger. 

"Speaking of minds, I sensed you and your sister come in." Gompers said in between bites.

Dipper lifted his head up, "Mabel? Is she her? I lost her and I'm worried she might be in trouble." 

Gompers swallowed whatever was in his mouth and leaned onto the table, a grave look in his eye, "I'm afraid she's not here. And yes indeed, she is in trouble." 

Dipper's stomach dropped and worry filled him, "Where is she? What kind of trouble is she in?" 

The man goat sighed heavily, "When you and your sister entered my mind, I sent out troops to get you before  _he_ can. Unfortunately, I was only able to get you out of there, but your sister was taken." 

"Taken? Taken by who?" 

"By Bill Cipher." Gompers spat out like the name had a bad taste. 

_Bill?_

"Bill? He's here?" Dipper was confused. Why was the demon here of all places. This was a goat's mind for Pete's sake! 

Gompers nodded his head, "Yes, and he has been residing in my mind for years." 

Dipper frowned, "Why? What does Bill want with you?" 

"He's been using me, controlling my body in the real world. Usually to spy on your Uncle or to eat food, saying something about taste buds and what not."

Dipper processed the information, "So you're like a hidden camera! Huh, no wonder I felt like I was being watched. And Mabel calls me paranoid." 

"Yes and for all those years I've been trying to find ways to get him out but it's impossible. He's too strong." Gompers took a sip from his wine and set it down. "And when I was targeted as your next mind invasion practice I was glad. Finally, I could get some outside help." 

Dipper scratched his head, "Glad? You climbed up the shack to get away from us." 

"On behalf of me, I apologize. That was Bill trying to get away. I could do nothing but watch." Gompers explained. 

That explains a lot. "So you said Bill has Mabel? Where and how do I save her?" 

Gompers grinned, "Great! I love the enthusiasm. I need you to go to Bill anyways and destroy whatever is controlling me." 

"Destroy? There's a Dorito in your mind?" Dipper wasn't expecting this. Heck he expected to sit around doing nothing, not take on a dorito! Dana hasn't taught him any of that stuff yet. And he was pretty sure she wasn't going to since they had no live specimen to test on (aside from her but she wasn't willing to let him in her mind). Dipper isn't prepared for this. 

"If you're talking about the mind controlling thing then yes, he has one in my mind. The good thing is I know where it is, the bad thing is that I don't know how to destroy it. I was hoping you knew." 

Dipper clicked his tongue, "Darn. Is there some way to contact Dana? She can help us, she knows this type of stuff." 

Gompers shook his head, "No. There is no possible way to contact your.. friend." The Pharaoh sighed, "I was afraid of this."  _  
_

"I'm sorry. But I can still go and try to destroy it." Dipper offered. He was going anyways to get Mabel.

"That is why I have a back up plan." Gompers snapped his fingers and a servant came in setting down a worn looking map. "There is someone else in my mind, a vague memory you can call it. He is probably the oldest memory to reside here. I only remember him when I was a little young-ling still drinking my mother's milk. He will know how to destroy Bill's creation." 

Dipper looked at the map, which looked oddly familiar to a brain. "Wait, if you knew this guy knows how to destroy the Dorito then why didn't you see him earlier?" 

"I couldn't. Even in my own mind Bill has a great influence. He has prevented me from leaving Edfu, and thus preventing me from seeing this man." 

"Great. So how do I find this guy?" 

Gompers pointed to a section of the brain way in the outer regions. "It is in my earliest memories, so the place will be a bit hazy. I will try to remember him to make the path clearer for you. Take this." He rolled up the map and handed it to Dipper. "Your sister will most definitely be at Bill's sanctuary, where the mind control is too." 

"So when do I leave?" Dipper asked.

"Soon. I do not know when your friend will wake you up, and I am already using much of my power on slowing time down in here."

"But can't I just come back? I can bring Dana with me and she could destroy the dorito." Dipper said.

Gompers shook his head, "No that wouldn't work. Bill will be ready for you. He'll probably put a mental block or something and then you won't even get in my head again. No it is better you do it now while we still have the chance. Nefertara will accompany you on your journey as well as an old friend of mine. He is plenty useful, and he can fix just about anything. I will send them both down to the docks. For now my servant will show you to your quarters. Freshen up and get some rest. You'll need it." 

At that exact moment, a servant came in and gestured for Dipper to follow him. Dipper did, and they walked through the door Nefertara went through. Inside there were many halls and rooms. In another time, Dipper would've felt excited at the fact he was walking through ancient pyramids, but right now he was only concerned about Mabel. Was she ok? Is Bill already annoyed by her antics? Hopefully the demon won't get too annoyed and hurt her. Dipper would never forgive the demon- no anyone who hurts his sister. 

He was left in a spaced out room with a great view of the city below. Dipper walked to the edge and let his thoughts fly. Either way, he and Mabel would be safe since Dana was going to wake Gompers up regardless. But that wasn't an option either. Dipper wouldn't look at Gompers the same way knowing the truth. And if Dipper tries a second time to get back in, Bill might of already put a mental force field. 

And to think all of this just to keep a goat's mind in control. 

Dipper rubbed his eyes. It hasn't been a day and a lot of things are happening. A yawn escaped his lips, and he decided to take Gompers' advice and rest up. The last thing he thought before slipping into sweet unconsciousness was how funny the fact he was sleeping in someone's mind while he is already asleep.

Sleepception...

 

 

 

The same servant woke him up, and glancing out the large balcony he could tell he didn't sleep long. Left for him was a pack he slung around his shoulder, stuffing the map inside, and a canteen pouch which was filled with water. Dipper followed the servant down the twisting hallways and back into the throne room. Gompers was no where to be seen, so Dipper thought he must be at the docks with the others.

Like last time, they took the carriage down to the city walls. Dipper was sad he had to leave early. He really wanted to explore and find some mysteries with Mabel. Thinking about her made him worry all over again. They exited through the huge wooden double doors and out to where a bunch of long boats resided.

Nefertara was already waiting for him by the board walk, along with a unfamiliar man standing beside her. They greeted him at his approach. Nefertara nodded with a smile, while the huge man pulled Dipper in for a huge hug.

"Hello Dipper Pines of Gravity Falls! It is an honor to meet you." The chubby man grinned, releasing the boy from his crushing bear hug.

Dipper sucked in air greedily, "Yeah- nice to meet you too.."

"Seti Monu of Edfu." The big man said proudly, showing off a pair of buck teeth.

Dipper squinted at the man. Something about him seemed so familiar...

"Dipper, I see you've meet Seti. He is the old friend I mentioned. He can fix just about anything." Gompers boasted, clasping Seti on the shoulder. "And no doubt Bill will try to stop you on your journey, so Nefertara will be your guard. Do not worry, she is well trained and one of my best warriors."

Nefertara smiled and twirled a golden axe embroidered with different colored jewels. "My father expected my brothers to be in the royal guards. I had to prove him wrong."

Dipper squinted at them both and his eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "Soos? Wendy!" That was why they seemed so familiar! They are them- well the Egyptian versions of his friends.

Gompers laughed, "Ah so you've figured it out. I was wondering when you'll notice. Yes they are your friends in the outside world. Most of the people here come from my memories."

"I get that. But then where did you get the memories of pyramids or Egypt?" Dipper asked, cuz seriously. Did Gompers take a trip to Egypt or what? He was pretty sure goats don't have passports.

"Those memories are not mine. I assume they are Bill's." Gompers said grimly, "You forget a dream demon can have memories too. I think because he has been inside my mind for so long our memories are starting to bleed together. Not that I'm complaining, I do like Egypt."

Gompers grabbed something wrapped in a cloth from one of servants and handed it do Dipper. "Use this when you're in danger. It will protect you."

Dipper took the cloth and unwrapped it, revealing a short golden staff, one end a blunt flat, and the other a form of a snake's head with red jeweled eyes. "How do I use it?"

"Point the snake at whatever the danger is and it'll do the rest." Gompers said.

Dipper nodded and placed the staff inside his pouch. The three climbed aboard the boat, one of the men untying it from the dock.

"Good luck Dipper. The path may be perilous, but I know you'll make it." Gompers called after them, "And whatever Bill says don't believe him. He may be a god in here, but this is still my mind! I'll weaken him anyway I can."

Dipper nodded his head and waved goodbye. He watched Edfu grow farther and farther away until it was once again a blurb in the distance. He walked to the front of the boat where Wendy and Soos- Nefertara and Seti stood.

"You look troubled." Nefertara commented.

Dipper sighed, "I'm just worried about Mabel."

Seti clasped his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, "We will save your sister and all will be well."

"Thanks Soo- Seti." His friend's comment made him feel better. Dipper had to admit, he was scared of the journey ahead of him. So it was nice having something or someone familiar around. It made him feel like he wasn't going through this alone.

The sun was setting, creating warm splashes of color in the darkening sky, and Dipper's never seen something so breathtaking. Egypt truly is beautiful and someday he might visit it in the real world.

Speaking of the real world, what was Dana doing right now?...

 

 

Ten minutes. She'll give them ten. Hopefully it won't seem like days in the goat's mind. It's really hard to tell time because each mind has different time measurements. Dana was already bored, and grabbed a mysterious looking thing from Mabel's side. She laid on the floor examining the toy, and pushed the handle inwards. A spray of glitter burst in a POP! and rained down on her eyes.

"ARGH IT BURNS!" Dana roared and stumbled up blindly to the bathroom, tripping down the stairs and landing in a heap on the floor. She made a note not to touch anything from Mabel's side ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ladies and gentleman is what my imagination comes up with. I used that theory for Gompers being possessed by Bill cuz c'mon, it's way too good not to be true.


	19. The Vengeance of Nitocris

Cool water soothed her irritated, red eyes. She rubbed them, making sure to get every last of the glitter gone before drying her face with a towel. The urge to eat swept over her, and the fantasy of ripping Mabel's leg from her body filled her mind. How delicious it would be to feel the resistance of muscles and bones tearing and breaking. Her screams- she would scream so _loud._

_her pliable skin - supple meat so chewy_

The stainless steel creaked under her grip and Dana saw her eyes flash sickly yellow in the mirror. A low growl erupted from the very core of her chest; her mouth salivating. She could still smell it and practically taste the iron on the tip of her tongue.

**_it wouldn't be so bad if she nibbled on the sister_ **

Dana agreed.

_**I don't think she'll miss her.. fingers? Toes? Maybe an ear or tongue or an arm or legs** _

_**lets just eat all of her** _

_**I don't think she'll mind** _

_**...** _

_Dipper might_

Dipper. Dipper Dipper Dipper Dipper-

She promised she won't hurt Mable. She'll be more careful.

Dana doesn't eat her friends.

_no no wrong she doesn't eat anyone. she meant she doesn't eat anyone._

The girl screwed her eyes shut, pushing away bad, bad thoughts. When she could no longer hear them, she looked at herself in the mirror. Ghostly pale, dark bags, sunken in cheekbones; she looked like a crack addict. But instead of drugs it was a certain brown-eyed, dorky boy she couldn't get out of her head.

_just like Gabriel_

No, no she doesn't want to think about him.

**_how could you do that to another human being?_ **

It wasn't her fault! She is a GOOD PERSON. HE JUST NEEDED TO BE WITH HER. HE JUST HAD TO EAT AND STOP CRYING ABOUT HIS FUCKING PARENTS-

A drop of blood disrupted her from her thoughts. Dana blinked, staring at the small red circle contrasting starkly on the white sink. With shaky fingers, she touched her nose but it wasn't the one bleeding. She looked at her reflection.. and it was coming from her eyes. The ugly yellow mixed with red looked like a spaghetti gone wrong.

"Fuck." She grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed away the blood, rinsing the drop of blood away in the sink. Dana leaned closer to the mirror, using two of her fingers to widen her eyeball. It was red still, but at least it wasn't bleeding. A horrible sinking feeling made her stomach queasy. This wasn't the first time it'd happen... but it doesn't make sense.

This shouldn't be happening. Bill said she didn't have to worry about her hunger. He said and yet.. this is the early symptoms of starving. Depravity of human flesh. She hasn't experienced this for a long, long time.

"Kids! Kids we got a new batch! Get down here, ASAP." Stan yelled so loud she could hear it in the bathroom. Dana yanked the door open and ran back to the stairs, just in time as Stan started going up the steps.

"You can't go up there!" She said blocking his path.

Stan looked taken aback, but frowned a frown only aged wrinkly men could pull off. "Outta my way kid." He shoved past her but Dana scampered back in front of him.

"Uh- uh-" She bit her lip, a million lies zooming in her brain ready for the picking. "Uh.. Dipper and Mabel are busy right now. They- uh- are.. having a sibling bonding time?"

Stan didn't look impress, "Kids!"

"What do you want?!" She asked desperately.

Stan huffed as if explaining his business to her was the last thing he wanted to do. "New batch of gullible tourist ready to throw their money to see the Pre-teen wolf boy and Unicorn girl. Kids!" Stan hollered around her, and made to continue up the stairs.

Dana blocked his path again, "Stop! They're seriously busy right now and they cannot be bothered under any circumstances!"

The conman groaned rolling his eyes, "Then what do ya suggest I do? I can't roll in the green without the entertainers."

"Um.." She pursed her lips. Oh the things she does for that stupid dorky boy. Dana closed her eyes, "I think I can help with that.."

 

 

The tip of the sun disappeared under the warm soaked sand, taking with it the desert's brilliant shine and leaving only the cool night illuminated only by a full moon. The river, so clear in the day, was a smooth ink stroke, and Dipper swore he could see shapes move under the water. Curious by nature, he wasn't too keen on finding out what they were.

Dipper rubbed his face and gazed out at the sand hills that stretched on as far as the eye can see. It was troubling to be thrust suddenly into a strange new world and an equally stranger predicament. Everything was so new and going too fast, he couldn't catch up or even take a breather break. At these moments he could really need Mabel right now. But even she was gone.

What is Bill's problem? Why is he doing this? (Other than being an evil demonic triangle) What did he or his sister ever do to him? Dipper couldn't wrack something up in his brain to explain the demon's actions. Everything about the isosceles was an enigma. But whatever his plans are doesn't excuse him from being ~~rude~~ evil. He only hoped his sister was ok. No doubt she was talking Bill's nonexistent ear off.

"Foods ready!" Seti called from the fire bowl. The chubby man picked the cooking fish off the hot grill with a flat blade and placed it on a wooden plate. He handed it to Dipper after the boy sat down on one of the plush pillows laid around the fire bowl. The smell was delicious, but it looked less than appetizing. The pink meat was cooked brown, but Seti must of forgotten to slice off the scales which looked like a mixture between green tree barks and sickly seaweed.

"What is this?" He asked, brows furrowing.

"Crocodile fish." Seti said in between mouthfuls, "Eat the scales. They're the best part and I cooked them just like the way my grandma did. All squishy with lots of juice."

Dipper's stomach made a 180 and he held he plate away from him, "Thanks but I think I'll pass.."

"Try a little." Nefertara said, "It's considered a delicacy and one of great Gompers' favorite."

_Course it would be his favorite. Anything is his favorite, he's a goat._

With a smile that reminded him too much of Wendy, Dipper obliged and ripped off a good sized piece and placed it in his mouth. He made a face but swallowed it, resisting the urge to spit it out. He coughed and gulped down some water to wash away the taste.

"How is it?" Seti asked excitedly, and just like Soos he had that hopeful puppy look that Dipper didn't want to crush.

"It- it has a.. _very_ strong taste." Dipper fumbled with his words.

Seti sat back pleased, "That would be the boiled guts I used for seasoning. Really good right?"

Dipper lurched, his face turning a pale green while Nefertara nodded her head, "Delicious as always. You make a fine fixer but you would make an even finer cook. Well at least better than the last one." Seti and Nefertara started talking about that other cook who made something so horrendous it left everyone who ate it sick for days, while Dipper discreetly pushed the plate away.

"So, do you guys know who we're supposed to be looking for?" He asked. Nefertara and Seti glanced at each other and they both shrugged.

"Nobody knows anything or anyone that lies in the old realm." Nefertara said.

"I heard the world ends and the river falls into the universe." Seti inquired.

The Egyptian girl rolled her eyes, "Pythagoras thought that too and look what happened to him."

"What happened to him?" Dipper asked but received no answer when a thick fog engulfed the boat. It was so subtle and suddenly that it startled Dipper. Seti and Nefertara as well as the fire bowl disappeared from view, even though he was positive they were maybe a few feet away. That was how thick it was.

"Seti? Nefertara?" He called, getting up. No matter how hard he squinted he couldn't see anything. Goosebumps rose on his arms. Something didn't feel right, and he wasn't saying that as some sixth sense but the fog, the air, it felt odd. As if fingertips were tracing body. 

"We are here." Nefertara said from somewhere in a calm yet stern tone. "Do not move." She then yelled something in a different language. One of the rowers yelled back. Dipper jumped in fright as he felt something grab his wrist. 

"Calm, it is just me." Seti said, his face emerging from the fog. 

The boy relaxed and looked around, "What's going on?" 

"We must be entering the old realm." Nefertara answered. 

The temperature in the air had dropped from a cool night to freezing snow, and only wearing a skirt made Dipper hug his body as shivers over took him. He stared out at the fog for too long his eyes were starting to play tricks on him; seeing weird shapes and shadows. It started out low, like a small fly buzzing in his ear, and Dipper barely heard it. But it steadily grew louder until a group of whispers invaded his brain. They were all talking at the same time, sounding like a garbled frenzy mess. 

A crunching sound disrupted the whispers, and if it weren't for Seti's grip he would've fell face first on the planks. Nefertara barked out something, and one of the rowers replied. Footsteps and a hand touched his face.

"Dipper, here." She thrust his satchel into his hands, and guided him along the boat.

"What happened? Why did the boat stop?" Dipper didn't like this place. It gave him the creeps. 

"We reached the end of the river. Seti, fire." She ordered, and he heard footsteps walk away from them. She had a firm grip on his hand, but it disappeared, following with the sound of crunching. It quickly re-appeared though, "Step down." He did, and landed on something hard but not solid. 

Blue flames erupted from the thick fog, miraculously clearing it as if it were a light in the darkness. He could clearly see Seti now, and the man handed Nefertara and the rest of the group each their own blue flaming torch. Dipper relaxed with the returning of his vision. He didn't like being blind. He felt helpless and susceptible to anything that would be out there in the fog. It wasn't a good feeling. 

They crowded in a circle, six rowers, Nefertara, Seti and he himself. 

"You two will come with us. The rest stay on the boat, and do not leave unless you think your life is at risk." Nefertara commanded. With her free hand, she pulled out a strange looking golden compass. It was strange because instead of a flat glass, it had a figurine of a bird with outstretched wings hovering over a blue light. Dipper watched fascinated as the bird circled in place until its beak rested on a direction.

"This will lead us to the man." Nefertara said, walking in that direction. The rest followed her, aside from the four ordered to stay on the boat. Dipper fell in a pace beside the Egyptian warrior.

"How do you know?" He questioned, watching the hovering eagle.

"Pharaoh Gompers crafted this from his very mind for the sole purpose to lead us to this man." She said, changing her direction when the eagle did. 

They walked for some time, the fog never disappearing. Though he was comforted in the fact he was with others, and he could see, he couldn't help feel like something was lurking in the fog, just out of sight. The fog, combined with the atmosphere reminded him of this game he played with Mabel a few years ago. There were monsters in the fog. And now he officially creeped himself out. Nice one Dipper. 

As he berated himself, Nefertara halted. Dipper wanted to ask what was wrong when he caught sight of it. Before them, emerging from the fog, erected a ginormous statue of a man. The rest revealed itself to show a large temple, with two smaller statues in the middle, and another large one on the right side. It looked like a picture you would see on a post card. 

"He is in there." Nefertara said, stuffing the compass back in her satchel. 

The temple looked abandoned, and eerie as the group walked past the statues. Dipper felt like their carved eyes were following them. It really wasn't helping out his paranoia. Their footsteps bounced off the spacious room they entered. It was pitch black, and the only kind of light offered was from their blue torches. The place was silent like the dead. He sauntered past some long tomb like coffins.

Walking a bit away from the group, but not far, Dipper raised his torch to the wall. It was like in one of those old Egyptian movies he and Mabel used to watch. Hey, they were both intrigued with Egypt's history. On the wall, was painted your typical humans, side face and all. But as he looked more at it, raising the torch to reveal more of the wall, the people started to kneel down, as if in prayer, some even bowing on their knees.

Odd, disfigured animals joined the painting, as well as weird creatures with wicked wings sprouting from their backs. It was so grotesque that just looking at them made Dipper's stomach churn unpleasantly. More light joined his when the rest of the group stood by him, revealing more of the large wall.

What it showed made Dipper's eyes widen.

It was Bill. Dipper knew it was him because he always wore that stupid bowtie and hat. What other demon triangle wears that? Besides the fact that Dipper's only met one demon.. Looking at the carving, he realized he's seen this before. In the journal.. it was Bill in a circle surrounded by random items. The Cipher wheel. Now that he can see the whole wall completely, he realized the creatures, the humans, were all surrounding Bill, like he was some kind of god.

"It looks like a story. A prophecy?" Nefertara commented, touching the wall lightly.

"I've seen this before. In a journal." Dipper said, staring at Bill's unblinking eye. A feeling of dread washed over him, and the more he looked at the eye he felt like it was sucking him in. He gasped when the eye, in a flash, snapped down to look directly at him, the outline of Bill burning a bright blue. Dipper's vision bled away and he was no longer in the temple with his friends.

Instead he was in the woods, the full moon the only light source in the dark. He was out of breath, like he'd ran a marathon. A sudden feeling of urgency filled him, as if he knew something bad was happening but he didn't know where. Tears blurred his vision but he blinked them away. What was going on? What were they going to do to her?

Dipper didn't know who he was talking about but- but he felt it deep in his gut, no deeper, in his soul that something bad was happening right now and he had to stop it. Gunshots followed by agonized roar pierced the night air, startling him. He whipped his head in the direction the sound came from and without thinking he ran. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

He needed to run faster, he had to find them.

The roars continued, getting louder and louder. And then human screaming replaced the roar. Oh god oh god!

"No!" He wailed, and Dipper was so shocked to hear how frightened and desperate he sounded. Fear, unimaginable fear welled up inside his heart, tightening his chest.

The screams continued in loud agony, never stopping. He had to find them, he had to find them! How how where where?!

The scope! The scope! He found that he already had it in his hand.

Screaming terrible agonizing screams.

His hands were shaking so bad but he managed to hold it up to his eye.

Hurry! Hurry!

A flash of bright light. Everything is spinning.

He's here! He's here! Stop stop it's not too late!

Fire- figures- screams- don't hurt her-

**don't forget me**

"-ipper!... Dipper!"

Ugh his head..

"Dipper! Dipper can you hear me? Give him water!"

The pounding in his head receded to a faint dull, allowing him to open his eyes. The world was blurry, but it soon came into focus. The first thing he saw was the floor before someone propped him up. The worried faces of his friends came into view, and one of the rowers handed him a bota. He fumbled with the cork and swallowed down refreshing water.

"What happened?" He said hoarsely after he drank his fill.

Nefertara placed the back of her hand on his forehead, "You collapsed. Your whole body was convulsing and you were talking but I could not understand you." She helped him up. Dipper could have done it himself if he didn't feel so dizzy. Those visions.. or whatever they were. He didn't know what was going on. Was it real? It felt pretty darn real. The fear did.

"Will you be fine?" Nefertara asked, checking his figure for any hidden injuries.

"I think so." Dipper mumbled.

"Uh guys, I think we've got company." Seti said, unsheathing a huge wrench from his utility belt.

The tombs, they were opening! They watched as each solid lid slid off, making a loud gravelly sound. It fell on the floor with a thud, like banging a book on a table but multiply it by three hundred. A period of uneasy silence, and then a low groan followed by more unearthly moans and growls. Dark shapes started climbing out of the tombs. Their feet scuffled on the floor, and they walked with a stagger. The only thing he could see of them was their glowing blue eyes that looked like neon bulbs in the darkness.

"Stay close! Make a circle." Nefertara ordered. Dipper found himself pushed into the center of his companions make-shift circle. Nefertara drew out her axe, "Dipper if something happens I want you to run and get back to the others."

"What? No! No way am I leaving you guys." Dipper said, watching as the dark figures creep closer and closer, their groans getting louder.

"You have to. I cannot afford for you to get hurt. Gompers needs you, and he has trusted me on keeping you safe." She told him sternly.

"Ah!" One of the rowers yelped. Dipper jumped back as the man fell to the ground, a curved blade lodged into his throat. Blood spurted out like a broken sprinkler, staining the floor like raindrops. Dipper stared at the dead man for a second before his whole body lit up. Like a burning paper in the wind, pieces of his skin peeled off and floated away to burn out and disappear.

The rower's body was gone in mere seconds, and the carved blade that stuck from his throat clattered to the ground. From out of the darkness, a bony, decomposing hand grabbed the blade. Dipper trailed his eyes from the hand, to a long dirty wrapped arm, and then finally the thing stepped into the light. Dead skin held in place only by dirt caked bandages, it only left gaps to show what hid underneath. It was a mummy, but five times more terrifying.

Their skin, what could be seen underneath the wrappings, were a rotten pistachio color, and they still had teeth; yellow and crooked. But the smell was just disgusting, like someone left milk in the fridge over its due date. (Mabel) The stench made him gag and his eyes burned. The mummy raised its arm and slashed down. It would have cut Dipper if an axe caught. 

Nefertara grunted and twisted, ripping the blade out of the mummy's hold. With a mighty swing, the monster's head fell to the ground, its body following it shortly. "Are you okay?" She asked looking behind her. Despite her calm voice, she looked alarmed. Dipper was about to answer when he spotted another undead trudge into sight. 

"Wendy!" He warned. 

Nefertara barely dodged the attack and kicked the mummy back. 

"They're coming from all sides!" Dipper heard Seti yell. 

It was an endless wave of mummy after another. It seemed that no matter how many fell, five more came from the darkness. Dipper caught a glimpse of dozens of twin blue eyes in the dark. The group was pushed closer and closer together, Nefertara swiping skillfully with her axe, Seti hitting with his wrench, and the other rower slicing with his sword. Dipper tried to help as best as he could, warning them of incoming mummies or attacks. 

Nefertara hissed when a mummy cut her exposed stomach. Another mummy ganged up on her, getting a cut on her arm. From out of nowhere, Seti was beside her, lifting up one of the mummies and throwing them like it was paper. Seti didn't look all to grand himself, with small nicks and cuts covering his body.

"There's too many!" Seti yelled, grabbing the head of a mummy and crushing it to dust.

Nefertara sliced off her opponents head and turned to Dipper, "Run! Get somewhere safe!" 

Wide eyed Dipper shook his head, "No! I'm not leaving you guys." 

The warrior girl stabbed a mummy and kicked it away, "You have to! Go! We will hold them off as long as we can! Here-" She thrust something into his hand, "GO." She pushed him, and Dipper took one last glance at his friends before breaking out in a run. He held the torch in front of him as he navigated through the darkness. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to burst from his chest like an alien. 

His mind was on alert, his eyes moving everywhere. Which helped him dodge a blade aimed for his neck. Dipper hit dirt and scrambled away. He got up and held his torch up to see a mummy. Fear paralyzed his body, and without thinking he threw the torch at the undead, hoping it would burn it alive. It did the trick, the corpse getting lit on fire, but it continued forward. Great Dipper, real great! It was still after him  _and_ on fire! 

Could this day get any more worse!? 

As if someone heard him, the ground underneath his feet started to shake. An earthquake? Dipper stumbled back and forth, trying desperately to hold his place. The mummy wasn't doing so great too, haven fallen over. It rolled on its belly and started crawling towards Dipper. The boy took a step back, hands outstretched to balance himself but the shaking was too hard that he fell on his rump. 

In an instant the mummy was on top of him, growling right in his face. Gooey saliva dripped onto his cheeks and Dipper scrunched his face up at the overwhelming stench. God when was the last time this guy used toothpaste? Why the heck was he even concerned about the mummy's oral hygiene!? He was about to die!

A crumbling sound reached his ears, and before Dipper knew what was happening, he was falling. The mummy lost its grip on him and fell above him, like a flaming shooting star. Wind rushed past his ears like a loud roar, his arms flailing everywhere looking for something to grab. It was too dark to see anything, and it reminded him of falling through the bottomless pit, but he didn't think this pit had no end. He managed to turn around in time to see the ground, then white blinding pain followed by cool darkness...

But- but Dipper wasn't unconscious. He was actually wide awake. 

He wished he was though. Pain rocked through his body, and it felt like his head was splitting open. With a groan, he pushed himself up off the floor. He took a moment to compose himself, and then scan his surroundings. 

"Nefertara? Seti?" He called, his voice echoing. No response. How far did he fall? Dipper glanced up, and blinked in surprise when he saw only a wall above him. "What?.." He muttered, standing up. The hole, it was gone. Now that he realizes it, he could actually  _see_ the ceiling. It was no longer dark due to normal looking fire torches hanging on the walls. 

A low groan caught his attention. He jumped back, expecting a blade to the head but instead he saw the mummy that had fallen with him in a black pool. The mummy had one hand out-stretched towards him, still trying to get Dipper. The boy edged closer, but jumped back in fright. What he mistook for dark water was actually millions of tiny beetles crawling around in a cesspool, and slowly yet vigorously devouring the mummy. The last thing to he saw was its blue eyes and its hand disappearing under the swarm. 

Dipper felt nauseous just looking at it. He shivered and turned around. He was so, so lucky he didn't fall into that. He instead fell on a small bridge of sorts. God where was he? What happened to Nefertara and Seti? Were they still fighting? The thought of Nefertara reminded him of the thing she gave him. Inside his satchel, he pulled out the compass. 

As soon as the compass lay flat on his palm the eagle hovered up and pointed straight towards the only exit in the room. 

_This will lead to the man_

He sure hoped it will. And anyways, it sure beat staying in here with the creepy crawlers. 

Dipper let the eagle lead the way. So far he had been walking in an underground tunnel, with a few torches spaced out here and there to provide enough light. The wall to his right was littered with hieroglyphs and ancient carvings. Dipper wasn't claustrophobic in default, but he sure hoped the tunnel was going to shrink like he watched in the Discovery channels. He didn't want to crawl on his belly with about 20 inches of space between the floor and ceiling. 

The tunnel ended, and broke apart in three different ways. Luckily, Dipper didn't have to take a guess and hope for the best. The eagle turned right, so he went into the right tunnel. Soon the carvings started getting more intricate, and paintings depicted what looked like wars and battles. 

Dipper stopped when he heard something. It was faint, but it clearly sounded like music? Guided by the eagle, and following the music, he walked deeper and deeper. Down steps he went, twisting and turning. He was pretty sure if he tried, he wouldn't find his way back. He was getting closer now. The music, what sounded odd and foreign, grew louder. 

The eagle started buzzing, and the blue light glowed stronger. Dipper was so focused on the eagle that he didn't notice someone in front of him before it was too late. "Oomph!" He bumped face first, and stepped back rubbing his nose. 

"How dare you, you runt!" An old man hissed, drawing away from Dipper like he was filth. 

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't see you." Dipper stuttered, alarmed by the intensity of the man's disgust. 

The old man snorted waved his hand which was decorated with golden bracelets and jewelry. Actually now that Dipper could see, the old man looked regal. Many other men passed by them, all sporting fine silk clothes, with equally fine jewels. Some even had jewels on their sandals. What was this? 

"This is unacceptable!" The old man sputtered, his wrinkly tanned face going red. 

Dipper chuckled nervously, "Sorry I didn't see you- Hey!" His arm was grabbed by someone, and when he turned to look to see who it was, he drew back in horror. It was one of those royal guards, but instead of a dog for a head, it was a crocodile. 

"I want him punished! Take his eyes and burn them!" The old man huffed. 

"What!?" Dipper squeaked, his voice cracking. "No! No, let go of me!" Dipper struggled against the crocodilian man in a vain attempt to get away. "Are you serious?! I just bumped into you!" 

"And it deserves rightful punishment." The old man said crossing his arms with a smug face. The crocodilian started dragging Dipper away, when a tall man broke from the crowd and approached them. 

"My friend Jukanta, what is ever the matter?" The tall man asked with a charming smile. 

"This- this peasant here dared block my path and disturb me!" Jukanta said, getting all flustered. 

The man glanced at Dipper, his smile falling but it came back full force. "My dearest apologies, but that is my nephew I was looking for. Horus hasn't given him the blessing of sight unfortunately, and he must have wandered off. Thank you for finding him, I was worried he would run into some unpleasant fellows." The man swung an arm around Jukanta's shoulders, "Thank the gods he was in the best of hands from a highly respectable priest such as yourself."

Jukanta huffed and straightened his shoulders, "Well of course. You, release this boy at once!" 

The crocodilian man did so, and Dipper rubbed his bruised arm. 

"Thank you my friend. I swear it won't happen again." The tall man said, taking hold of Dipper's wrist. 

Jukanta waved his hand, "Bah. See to it you do not." And rejoined the crowd all heading through two large openings. Dipper glared at the old fart until he was no longer in sight. 

"Now, what did I tell you about running off like that pal? Can't keep you in my sights forever." The tall man chuckled, patting him on the head. Dipper drew his head away and smoothed out his hair. 

"Uh, thanks and all but I'm not your nephew. You know that right?" Dipper said, walking alongside the man. 

The man glanced down at him and grinned, "Dunno. You look a whole lot like me when I was your age. And I know fo-sure you ain't from around here if you catch my drift." 

"Catch my drift.. Ok, ok what?" Dipper frowned.

The man raised a brow and poked him right between his eyebrows, "Kid you're gonna get old if you keep that up. C'mon, parties almost starting, and you don't wanna miss that." He continued on while Dipper stopped for a moment. The vibration coming from his hand caught his attention, and he held up the compass. The bird was going crazy, flapping its golden wings. Dipper raised it to eye level, to see it pointing straight at the tall man's back. 

Dippers eyes widened. "Hey! Hey wait!" He jogged to catch up and fell into pace with the guy. "You! You're the guy we're looking for." 

The man raised a brow and waved a hand in front of Dippers face, "No, these aren't the droids you're looking for." 

Dipper frowned and swat away his hand, "You know how to get rid of Bill. Gompers said you would know- mpfhh!" 

"Whoa, whoa slow down there kiddo." The man said, covering Dippers mouth while glancing around. "Not here. Let's just go grab our seats and then we'll talk, you dig?" 

Dipper moved his face away from the offending hand, "Yeah I dig, dig.. dig." What in the world did that even mean? 

"Gravy. Stick close." The man merged into the crowd shuffling into the doorways, Dipper following closely behind. 

Riding with the crowd, they entered through the opening and into a wide, huge, spacious room like Gomper's palace hallway, except there was no natural light source since Dipper assumed they were underground. Like the palace, it had a long rectangle pond, with- Dipper blushed a deep crimson- with scantily clad women lounging in, pouring wine or feeding some of the men. There was a lot of people ranging from different ages, but they all had in common was their fancy, and almost regal attire look. 

"The Empress invited only the nobles and the high priests for her grand celebration." The man said, leading Dipper to one of the open cushions available. They seated, and at once a woman poured them wine and laid out various fruits on the table. He waited until she left to turn to the man and ask again. The man in response held up a finger, and drank from his goblet. 

"Ah, sweet as always." The man said, smacking his lips. He glanced at Dippers untouched drink and raised a brow, "You not gonna try some? It's really good." 

Dipper frowned (he was doing that a lot apparently) and shook his head, "No. Can we talk about Bill now?" 

"Re-lax man. It's a party. Enjoy yourself! You remind me of my friend. All work and stern faces and because science!" He chuckled, tossing an apple in the air.

Dipper miraculously caught it (which impressed himself like wow badass Dipper), and glared at the man, "Bill has my sister. I can't 'relax'." 

"And Bill has my daughter." The man's mood turned serious so quickly it caught Dipper off guard. "Besides, you must be tired from your journey. No one comes to the old realm without facing.. unpleasant people. Relax. Take a breather. I promise I'm not gonna disappear if you blink." The man joked, going back to his light-hearted attitude. Dipper opened his mouth but closed it. He wanted to get answers and get going to Mabel, but the man was right. He was tired, hurt, and hungry. And the food looked downright delicious. 

The women laid out the main appetizers, and Dipper dug in. A part of him felt bad that he was enjoying himself while his friends were somewhere fighting for their lives. Or not. Nefertara was amazing with her axe, and Seti could crush a mummy's head with one hand. He had a strong feeling that his friends were alright. As Dipper ate, he glanced around the room, watching the nobles and priests drown themselves in a drunken stupor. 

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. That is until his eyes landed upon someone sitting at the very end of the banquet table. She sat in a level higher than the rest, and watched down on them from her nose. From all the way over here he could practically feel the air of regalness emanate off of her. The woman's aloofness contrasted greatly with the joyous atmosphere. 

Dipper leaned towards the man and whispered, "Who's that?" 

"Hm? Her?" The man asked, nodding his head towards the woman's direction. "That is our beautiful host and Empress, Nitocris." 

"Why does she look like she knows something we don't." Dipper asked nervously. He didn't know why, but she looked off. Despite the curved smile on her stoic face, there was a gleam in her luminous eyes that shone with something devious. 

The man took a sip from his cup, "That's because she does. You know, I always wonder what she is thinking each time I see her sit there all alone." 

Dipper looked at the man strangely, "What do you mean each time?" 

The man raised a hand and pointed to the Empress. 

As if on cue, the Empress rose from her seat, goblet in hand. The chatter and laughter of the guests died down immediately, and everyone's attention turned towards the woman. It was amazing how a simple act could show how commanding her very presence is. Once she had their full attention, she graced them with a smile. 

"My friends, welcome. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves?" She spoke calmly, her eyes slowly sweeping over the sea of faces. There was a group of cheers and yes', and beside him, the man laughed as if the Empress told an inside joke that nobody but him got. She smiled, pleased at the answers. "Do you like the temple I have built for Osiris? For you, my loyal Priests and nobles. A new place to worship!" 

They cheered, raising their cups. 

She waited until the crowd died down and continued, "Now I know we must not talk of dreadful things during such a joyous night, but I feel I must. I apologize, for my brother, our used to be Emperor, and my husband-to-be, for his sacrilegious actions. He had angered the gods..." She paused, blinking once. "And when I came back from my trip I knew he had lost himself to madness. And when I saw his.. lifeless body on the floor of our palace I knew it was the will of the gods." 

The crowd whispered agreements and nods. 

"But." The man said beside Dipper. 

"But." Nitocris said, "It was still murder."

"It was the gods who struck him down!" One of the noble men said, and the rest murmured in agreement. 

Nitocris chuckled, dipping her head. "The gods.." She snapped her head up and said loudly, "It was not the gods!" Her clenched hand unwrapped, and she held up a familiar, small golden scope. Dipper's eyes widened at the sight of it. "Do not think you all can lie to me! I have seen your treacherous deed. I have seen my brother stumble and fall! I've seen your knifes cut his body and spill his royal blood on his floor!" 

The entire room went dead silent. They all watched the Empress lower the scope, cradling it in her hand. Dipper didn't feel at ease when she started to laugh. 

"Oh but my friends, why do you look so? Do not fret. I understand my brother succumbed to his  _madness._ I have no ill will. I know it was what must be done." She smiled at them, "That is why I have built this temple for you all. Is it not grand?" There were murmurs of yes', as if everyone was too nervous to speak. "I want to make a toast." The Empress raised her goblet, prompting the rest to follow. "I hope for all of us, for this great empire, to have a long, and prosperous life." They drank, Dipper pretending to drink from his. "Rejoice my friends! For a new era has begun."

The music started up again, and the unease the crowd felt melted away, replaced with more wine and food. And more wine. And more wine. 

Dipper watched the Empress' smile fade, replaced with cold fury. She took one last sip, turned around, and walked towards the exit. The tall man beside him took a huge chomp from the apple, a sip and nudged Dipper. 

"That is our cue to leave." He said, getting up. 

"What, why? What is going on?" Dipper said alarmed. From the corners of his eye, he saw the maidens and servants discreetly follow their Empress. They were leaving. Why were they leaving? 

The man crouched beside Dipper and said, "You mentioned you have a sister?" 

Dipper turned to him, "Mabel yeah. But what does this have anything to do with-"

"What would happen if your sister died?" The man interrupted him. 

Dipper frowned, "I would be sad."

The man nodded, "Good, good then how would you feel when you find out that your sister was murdered?" 

"I- I.. I would be mad."

"Mad enough to get revenge? Mad enough to kill?" 

Dipper open and closed his mouth. He didn't know. He's never thought about that. But if that did ever happen (god hope not) would he?... 

The man grinned, "I think you know where this is going, so I suggest we get a move on." He pulled Dipper up and they briskly walked to where the Empress left. Just as they reached the curtains, two crocodilian guards stepped out, blocking the way. "Oh no. We're a bit late aren't we?" The man breathed. Dipper saw more guards emerge from the other exits, blocking it. The crowd were too drunk to notice anything strange going on. 

Dipper didn't like this, "What's going to happen?" 

The man cracked his knuckles, "You know one thing I really like about Nitocris is her very creative way on getting revenge. Very impressive if I do say so myself. Stand behind will you?" 

Dipper did, glancing around nervously. Something big was going to happen, he could feel it. The man whistled, looking not at all urgent. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" the boy whispered harshly. 

The man glanced down at him, "Just waiting for the right moment in three, two, one!" 

Now there were three things that happened so fast, and at the same time. One, there was an unearthly loud noise, followed by a vibration that Dipper thought it could be the start of an earthquake. Two, the man drew his fist back and cracked it down on the crocodiles jaw. Three, from behind the magnificent tapestries that hanged on the walls, burst out water from a huge open, sewer like tunnel.

Back to the man, the crocodile stumbled back clutching it's jaw. The other guard barely had time to draw its sword when he too received a punch in the face.

"Come on kid, no time to waste!" The man yelled over the roar of the water and the frightened screams of the party-goers. "And mind the water! Piranhas aren't a friendly bunch!"

"Piranhas!?" Dipper shrieked, running a bit faster. He could hear the water right behind them. The man was running faster than him, but he seemed to notice since he hoisted Dipper up onto his back. He jogged up steps and ran frantically through twisting tunnels that will soon be filled to the brim with water. Dipper glanced behind, and unconsciously tightened his grip when he saw water shoot through the stairway. And no exit in sight.

They're not going to make, they're not going to make it! "We're not going to make it!" He yelled. 

"Hang on!" The man shouted. How could Dipper not? A brief glimpse of light, and then cold water swept Dipper under. If it weren't so terrifying, it was like going down a waterslide. Dipper tried to kick up to get air but the current held him under. He felt himself rise like when you reach the end of the slide before it lifts you and spews you out. That was exactly what happened. 

"Ah!" Dipper yelped, more like gargled under the water. He back collided with something hard and he rolled over a few times until coming to a stop. Dipper broke out in harsh coughs as he regained his bearings. Every inch of his body was drenched, and there was water in places it shouldn't be, such as in his ears and up his nostrils. 

"Hey kid, kid! You still alive?" 

Dipper rubbed his eyes, "Yeah. Where are you?" 

"Right here." The man said, appearing beside the boy. "Man that was crazy! Oh wait, you got something on your- right there." The man reached  for Dipper's head and plucked off a piranha, and tossed it away. "Hey kiddo, you alright? You don't look so good." Dipper tried to answer but he found he couldn't. He was shaking, and the near death rush left him breathless. The man frowned and grabbed his shoulders, "Hey now. Just breath kay? It'll be alright, just breathe." 

Dipper sucked in air, held it, and let it out slowly, calming his racing heart. The man smiled, "You fine now? That was pretty heavy, huh." He ruffled the boy's hair and got up. "I guess I gotta tell you what you came here for so shoot." 

Dipper brushed his hair in annoyance and got up as well. "How do I get rid of Bill?" 

"Jump right into the deep end don't you? Alright, so your friend Gompers got a pest and needs pest control. I'm sure Bill planted one of his mind controllers in your friend's brain. Since you're here, you must have some knowledge in enchantments, yeah?" 

"Uh.. I guess yeah, sorta." Dipper said, scratching the back of his head. 

"Alright there's this one I know will do the job. Listen closely and don't forget because I don't have any paper or pen for ya." The man cleared his throat and said, "Nec Somnus. Scutum Spiritus sanctus innocens. Custodi impios." 

Dipper frowned, "Nec Somnus. Scutum Spiritus sanctus innocens. Custodi impios."

The man smiled, "Now aren't you a quick learner! Wish I got a memory like yours. My brother has a good memory too. Ha, well only about the money I owe." 

"-sanctus innocens. Custodi impios." Dipper muttered under his breath like a mantra. "Ok, got it. So do I just say it in front of Bill or what?" 

"No, you got to say it to his mind controller. Don't worry, you'll know it when you see it. It's pretty hard not to see it actually." The man said rubbing his chin, "Hey kid. One more thing. I have this friend that'll help you get to Bill. He's a bit.. suspicious of stranger but tell him the jackass sent you and he'll help you with anything."

Dipper raised a brow, "Ok."

"Oh an, one more thing." The man said, "My daughter. Bill has her and I want you to set her free. Or.. just check.. to see if she's still-" The man stopped, a pained look crossing his face. 

Dipper bit his lip, "How do I know what she looks like when I find her?" 

"Uh.. Yeah she'll.. she'll be wearing a necklace with a gold hand." The man said, Dipper ignoring the cracking of his voice. 

"Why don't you come with me? We can get your daughter together." 

The man shook his head, "Can't. I damn wish I can but I'm part of the past. I gotta stay here or else I'll just.. disappear." 

"Oh.. Well, don't worry. I'll find your daughter and bring her back. You can count on me." 

The man smiled and clasped Dipper's shoulder, "Sure pal. I know you will." 

Dipper nodded and turned around. Ok, now time to figure out how to get back to the boat. "Hey, what happened to the Empress after-" Dipper said, turning back around. He blinked in surprise. Where the man had been standing not a second ago was empty. Gone. 

"We'll split up in two groups. Two with you and two with me. He has to be around somewhere." 

Nefertara? Dipper followed the sound of her voice until he saw them crowded in a circle. Relief washed over him to see that they were ok. 

"You guys!" He called, making his presence known. 

The group spun, and Seti smiled a huge smile. "Dipper!" Nefertara raced over to him, jumped on the boat and hugged him. "I thought you were dead!" Seti climbed on board and hugged Dipper next, lifting him off the ground. 

"Yeah- agh- still alive." Dipper grunted, and was relieved when he was put down. 

"What happened to you?" Seti asked. 

Dipper opened his mouth to reply but Nefertara cut him off, "First. Did you find the man?" 

He nodded, "Yeah. And I know how to get rid of Bills dorito now." 

Nefertara nodded, "Good. We set sail at once." She barked orders at the rowers and they got back into position. She then clasped a hand on his shoulder and shook it, "I'm glad you're ok Dipper. So tell us, what did happen to you?" 

Dipper laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Well I got attacked by a mummy on fire..."

 

 

 

 Nitocris strode through her palace with grim determination. The deed was done, her vengeance satisfied. But it wasn't enough. Her brother was still gone. Her beloved.. She will not live another second without him. 

She called her servants and ordered them to fill her boudoir with hot and smoking ashes. When they came back to her, she dismissed them. It will be done. She will be with him once more. 

Nitocris stepped inside her private chambers and shut the door, locking it securely behind her. Breathing in the suffocating air, she laid on the couch and waited. The world started to spin due to the lack of oxygen, and she let the thick fumes consume her. 

Once more.. 

"I can bring him back." 

She smiled weakly and cracked open her tired eyes. A man with light hair and a patch over his eye was crouched beside her, taking her hand in his. "All I ask for in return is your soul." 

The sad Empress, even on her death bed, chuckled. "...And my answer.. will always.. be no." 

He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Then I'll meet you again in another life time." 

The man was gone. Her hand fell limp and Nitocris exhaled for the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, sorry for the missed update. I'll try to make this a daily weekend thing. If I don't post then that means I'm dead and I'm now a zombie.   
> For those readers that are still here, thank you guys. Seriously I didn't expect people to like this story at all. If you're looking for plot, then you came to the right place. I have a huge plot shit thingy. But anywho ~ thank you guys. 
> 
> Here, you can't see it but I gave you all invisible interweb pizzas. Enjoy :P


	20. Welcome to Pompeii

"You know this whole 'kidnapping' thing would be a whole lot better if the prisoners got donuts, or something." 

Bill, like the last time, and the time before that time, and the time before THAT time, ignored her. Mabel huffed and shifted in place where she sat, both of her wrist chained to the ground. She couldn't recall exactly how she got in this predicament. All she remembers was popping inside Gompers' mind, then a bright light that had hurt her eyes, and now chained to the ground on what seemed to be a flat landscape. The floor under her was extremely smooth, and it seemed to stretch on as far as the eye can see. 

It was weird, like being on an empty game design, with no texture or details or even props. The only thing she could look at, aside from Bill, was the sky. Which wasn't your typical sky at all. Instead being blue and dotted with puffy clouds, it was the galaxy. When Mabel noticed it her jaw dropped. It was the most beautiful thing she's ever seen, and sometimes comets would zoom by. It reminded her of the time their parents took Dipper and her to the space museum and showed them the planetarium.

Mabel sighed. Those were fun times. They were young, and with no care in the world. But as they started growing older (still growing mind you), Dipper seemed to distance himself from her. She doesn't know if he was doing it on purpose, or maybe he was doing it unconsciously. Before their parents sent them to spend summer at Gravity Falls, she felt like they were growing apart. Dipper became more focused on his books and school, and for days he would be locked in his room for hours. 

Their mom claimed it was just Dipper growing up, being a boy and all. He needed his space. But sometimes, Mabel got the feeling her brother didn't want her around. It never showed obviously, but she noticed him getting slightly irritable whenever he was around her, like he couldn't stand the sight of seeing her. Mabel didn't know what she had done so wrong. It hurt, a lot. She tried to convince herself it was just a 'boy thing', but inside, she had a feeling it was something more than Dipper hitting puberty.

When their parents shipped them off to the care (or lack thereof) of their uncle, she was delighted. Finally, a summer to enjoy just with her brobo. And they did connect again. Mabel felt like Dipper, with whatever was going on with him, was easing up. She was his best friend again. And you know, aside from all the ghosts, monsters, gnomes, and moose vampires, Mabel was having fun, and it was only because she was doing it with her brother. 

Thinking of her brother made her feel down. Where is he? Bill wasn't an option to ask. The triangle seemed intent on just flat-out ignoring her. Come to think of it, the demon had not once looked at her. He was busy.. doing something. She couldn't really see what. He had his back facing towards her, shielding away something that glowed a faint blue. 

"Is this about the opera thing because I had to get my bro bro's body back. It's his body." Mabel spoke up again. She didn't expect an answer from the quiet demon, so it caught her off-guard when he snickered.

"And who would blame ya Shooting Star?" Bill said, appearing behind her. "Pine Tree isyour brother after all. You  _always_ help him." 

His sarcastic tone made her frown. She crossed her arms as best as she could and said, "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Bill floated away, shrugging his non-existent shoulders, "Family is the closest bond you mortals can develop. You're born together, you die together.. And then you're born again." He added the last part like an afterthought. "Eh, but you guys tend to wither off when the other one dies first. You two are just sooo _inseparable_."

Mabel was thoroughly confused, and she had a sneaking suspicion Bill was talking more to himself than to her. Bill floated upside down, his hat magically staying on, and continued, "You know Shooting Star, you're real special. Mankind's enigma. I don't even know how you got born! I blame it on Fate. He's a sore loser." 

"What!?" Mabel exclaimed, "You don't know where babies come from? Didn't your parent ever tell you about the birds and the bees." That is, if he had parents to begin with. Mabel cringed at the thought of a baby Bill setting people on fire. How would a pyramid demon even look like as a baby? Does a brick get added each year, like a number gets added for humans? But that wouldn't make sense since Bill had only like what, 10, 11? Did it signify millenniums instead of years?... Ok Mabel, your brain is getting way ahead of itself. Focus on Bill; he's giving her that no-smile eye thing again, which came off more menacing than she thought he meant to portray.

Bill's eye wrinkled, "Kid, I know _all_ about the birds  & the bees. I'm all-knowing!" 

Mabel squinted her eyes, "If you're all-knowing then where is Dipper? What did you do to him!" 

"Re-lax Shooting Star, your brother's here and there." Bill said disinterestedly, checking his non-existent nails. Mabel blinked and he was suddenly next to her, a noodle black arm swung over her shoulder. "But you know, you don't need to wait to be saved. Usually by now you'd make a deal." Bill said, holding up a flaming blue hand. Mabel didn't take it and he flicked away the flames. "But we don't want you adopting that bad habit again. Even if you did... I'll be so sure this time, this time. But you're always so clever, right Shooting Star?" 

Mabel blinked, "What?" 

"Deals, deals. What's the point of it being fair? It's no fun that way!" Bill laughed maniacally. "And besides, you never play fair!" 

"Hey! I'm not a cheater! Ok maybe that one time playing Uno.. and Monopoly.. and Twister.." Yeesh, realizing it now, she needed to turn her life around. "But at least I'm not a meanie like you!" 

Bill's eye widened in surprise and he started laughing, floating away from her clutching his stomach. "Ha ha! Meanie? That's a first. Usually I'm called evil, insane, a megalomaniac, but meanie? I think that describes me pretty well Shooting Star!" 

Mabel pouted, "What do you want anyways? We did nothing this time."

"Ha! HahaHAHAH!" Bill guffawed, startling Mabel. " _You_ did everything Shooting Star! If it's anyone you should blame, it is yourself!" 

"Me?" Mabel exclaimed, placing a hand to her chest, "But I didn't do anything!" What in the world is wrong with this guy? Last time she checked she didn't go around messing with Bill. It was mostly Dipper; those two seem to have an agenda against each other.

Bill waved his hand, "No take backs. I warned you'll regret it, but you still defied me anyways. It could of been so simple for you Shooting Star! For you, for me, for the world, for the entire universe!" He raised his hands to the galaxy above them, his voice booming. "And yet... You  _chose_ to be so stubborn. I'm not mad anymore! Maybe a little but I'll get over it." 

The demon wasn't making any sense that it was starting to hurt her head. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, rubbing her head. 

Bill gave her a strange look that she couldn't decipher (cipher), and said, "I know. Maybe one day you will, maybe not." The demon floated to her until their faces were inches apart. Mabel tensed under the unwavering attention of one single, unblinking eye. She wanted to look away, but she just couldn't. A strange sensation rippled over her skin, and she felt like that  _single_ eye was pulling her in. 

In its glassy reflection, she could see herself... but it wasn't her? Yet at the same time, she  _knew_ it is her. She didn't know how, or why but...

Bill finally blinked, breaking whatever trance he had over her. 

"I prefer you with blue eyes, Toots." He said, flying behind her. Mabel expected him to re-appear again, but he didn't. She looked behind to find him gone. 

Mabel was more confused than the time Dipper tried to explain the ending of Inception to her. But she was even more disturbed by how  _human_ Bill sounded. There weren't any of that multiple voices mixed together. He just sounded normal, which creeped her out even more. 

She was glad he was gone, or she think he is. If it's one thing Mabel got from their odd conversation was that Bill was right on one thing; she shouldn't wait for someone to save her. The question is how to break free, and escape from.. wherever she is. She bit her lip in concentration. 

_Think... think... thi- oh! Duh, silly me._

Mabel grinned. She knew how to get out. She just needed to imagine it...

 

 

"Be prepared to be amazed folks for I have brought you one of the most foulest, hideous, and horrifying creature to ever walk the planet. I present to you... the brooding pre-teen of the 20th century!" Stan said with added affect. The crowd gasped as the curtains were drawn to reveal Dana. "Don't get too close! Her teenage angst will infect your brains, and then you will be angsty! It will be like high school all over again!" Stan bellowed. The group of adults let out cries as memories of their teenage years flashed through their eyes.

One kid approached her and she hissed at him. 

"No Billy, don't get too close!" His mother breathed, pulling her kid away. 

"Throw money at her folks! Think of her struggling, desolate, (probably non-existent) future!" Stan said, and a rain of dollars bills and coins were thrown on the stage. 

Dana glared at them, and one man let out a shrilled scream, running out of the shop. 

"Alright, move along, move along. This ain't a circus." Stan grumbled, leading the crowd to the next attraction. 

This is humiliating. Now she knew how Dipper felt. Dana wanted more than nothing to just crush all their bodies into a bloody ball and chew on them like a big, wad of juicy gum. Make them all scream as their organs mix together, as their bones entwine, as their very existence become nothing but a good teeth buffer. She wanted all these things and more. It didn't matter to her how old, how innocent, or guilty they are.

**they were all food to her**

"Mind if I donate to charity? I hear it makes you feel like a better person." A certain dark haired grinning teen said. Conner rested his elbows on the stage, a coin between his index and middle finger.

Her lips pulled back in a snarl, "Throw that and I'll beat you to death with it."  

Conner snickered, "Someone's violent." His eyes lit up, "We can be violent together." He said hopefully, his eyes bleeding yellow. 

"Fuck off." She growled, her patience depleting faster than the health bar in Dark Souls. She was already irritated being surrounded by meatbags she couldn't devour, and with her brother around she didn't know how much restraint she had left to spare. Jonathan always had a way of doing that to her. Hell his very presence pisses her off. 

There was brief look of hurt on his face, but it was gone before Dana could feel bothered by it. He rolled the coin towards the pile of cash, and they both watched it slow and tip over face up, the profile view of America's first president minted into the silver coin. 

Her brows furrowed together, "I told you to leave me alone." 

"I know, but contrary to what you think, I'm not here for you." Conner said, scratching idly at the wooden stage with his abnormally sharp fingernails. Dana scoffed in disbelief. He only gave her a grin. "What? I'm just getting around town, making myself comfortable since this is my home now."

"No it's not." 

"And I just happened to be interested in this tour where I heard I could get to see things beyond my wildest of dreams." He continued, ignoring her comment. "And uh," He scratched the back of his ear, "Wendy invited me." 

"What?" Dana hissed, slamming her fists down just as the very person they were talking about appeared. 

"Whoa dude, something wrong?" Wendy asked, taking a sip from a can, and handing one to Conner. 

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Dana shot, keeping her voice level even though her whole body shook slightly in anger. 

The teen shrugged, "I won't tell if you won't."

"Ease up Dana. Wendy's just showing me around." Conner smirked slyly and Dana swore several of her arteries burst. Did he think being in a room full of people would protect him from getting his guts smeared all over? 

"Why do you guys do  _that_?" Wendy questioned, breaking the intense glaring contest the two sibling were having. 

"Do what?" Conner asked, not looking away from his sister. 

" _That._ " Wendy emphasized, waving a finger at them. "You both start talking weird, like super polite or some shit. It's like boom, an accent out of nowhere."

Dana frowned, "No we don't.

"Yes you do! You're doing it right now." 

Conner chuckled, his thin pale lips pulled back to flash pearly white teeth, "I think you're hearing things."

"No I'm not. Every time you guys talk to each other it's like you suddenly having this British, proper accent." 

"Nostalgia. Here drink up." Conner said nonchalantly and shoved his can into Wendy other hand and made her drink it. He got her to take a huge gulp before she pushed it away coughing a little. 

"Ugh.. what?" The red haired teen moaned, and Dana saw her pupils dilate into huge black orbs. 

"Hey babe, why don't you wait outside for me." Conner winked, and Wendy blinked slowly and nodded. The teen stumbled away in a drugged confused state and Conner shifted his attention back to Dana, sucking on his bleeding thumb. 

"What? I didn't hurt her." Conner said when he saw the look on Dana's face. 

"Don't do that." Dana made a mental note to check on Wendy later on. 

Conner groaned rolling his eyes, "Laaaaame. What other rape date drug am I gonna use?" 

Fire hot anger flooded her veins and she felt the sudden, overwhelming urge to rip him to pieces. 

"Kidding! Kidding! I don't do that anymore... well not really." He mumbled the last part out. "Only if they're cute."

"If you so much as  _touch_ her-"

"Don't worry about it. I already had fun with those Manotaurs. I think I still have hair in my ass."

Dana scrunched her face up in disgust, "STOP talking." 

Conner pursed his lips and played with the coins on the stage. 

"They are  _huge_ though-"

Blood dripped onto the stage. Dana's nails burrowed itself into his hand, cutting through a long vein. Conner didn't even flinch.

"Don't push your limit. And don't think you can talk to me." 

Slowly, he pulled away his hand, her nails sliding out leaving thin holes that sealed up almost instantaneously. He stared at the blood on his hand. 

"I can't do this anymore." He whispered, "I don't want to pretend for you anymore."

Dana frowned, her lips twitching, "Pretend?"

But Conner drew away shaking his head, "Nothing. Forget what I said."

"No. Pretend what?" Dana got off the stage and grabbed his arm but he yanked it away. 

"This- this whole thing. This  _act_."

"Act? What act?"

Conner bit his lip, "It doesn't matter anyways. As long as it keeps you from-" He stopped himself before he could say anymore. "No, never mind. You don't want me here, then I'm leaving." 

"Johnathan what aren't you telling me?" She demanded more than asked. A sick feeling crawled up her spine, and somewhere deep in the back of her head started to hurt. It felt like something was trying to rip open her skull and get out.

Conner looked at her, his eyes wanting to tell her  _something_ but he shook his head. "You don't want the truth, and I'm not going to give it you. That's what you said, remember?"

"I don't understand-"

"Do you really want to?" He said, walking away backwards, "Ignorance is bliss, after all."

Dana watched him exit, wanting to follow him and find out what the hell he was talking about but instead she sat on the stage, playing over their conversation. What did he mean by act? Pretending? 

_ignorance is bliss_

What did he mean by that? Did he know something she didn't. And if ignorance is bliss, shouldn't she be feeling blissful? The more important question is how to kick her brother out of Gravity Falls. She could kill him but... she didn't know if he would die. She doesn't even know how to kill herself. She tried multiple times, but she would always wake up. Not even Fiddleford could, and they've tried almost everything. 

Maybe she should just put herself in cryo-genic sleep and destroy the entrance. 

Maybe... maybe but Dipper- she couldn't leave him alone. No, never. She's his friend, they're friends and friends don't just abandon each other. She would  _never_ do that to him. Because they're friends, friends forever  _whether he likes it_   _ ~~ornot.~~_  

Dana blinked and realized she was squeezing her fists so hard her nails punctured the palm of her hand. 

It didn't bother her. 

What did bother her, was that it had hurt.

 

Dipper slept easier when they finally left the thick fog. He didn't dream anything for the duration of his sleep, and when he woke up he felt groggy instead of refreshed. That may be impart due to sleeping on the flat surface of the boat with only a thin sheet for cover and using his pack as a replacement for a pillow. Dried drool on the side of his face wasn't pleasant either. 

He wiped the crust away and laid on his back, looking blankly at the sky. The sun was at the very first stages of rising, it's soft earthly glow looking like paint strokes over the dark blue. The sprinkle of stars were disappearing slowly, and in the back of his head, Dipper remembered when the entire Pines family went to the museum. Mabel really liked the planetarium, and even made a huge fuss when they said it was time to go.

She liked it so much that she was in the worst mood possible for the rest of the day. So Dipper did what any brother would do for his sister. He broke open his Wookie piggy bank and with the money he had been saving up to buy a new psp, he bought her a star projector. He was sad that he couldn't get the console, but the look on Mabel's face told him it was worth it. They used to stay up very late laying on the floor of her room watching the 'stars'. 

He smiled at the memories. Those were the few times he could enjoy being around Mabel. Just to have fun, and not feel weird. To just look at her face and not remember the stuff they did when they were little. Thinking about it now made him sick and he quickly dispelled those thoughts away. He still couldn't.. handle all this. It still made him feel so sick, and just looking at Mabel triggered it. 

When she hugs him, he couldn't stop himself from shoving her away. The hurt in her eyes killed him, and he wanted to say sorry, and hug her back and laugh his worries all away. He wanted things to go back to the way they were, back before.. He wishes he never remembered. He wished he never went to San Francisco. In the front seat riding shotgun in the car during the six hour drive home at night. The cars on the other side of the freeway, their headlights flashing past him taking each turn to blind him. 

That was when he remembered. 

He didn't know how, or why. It just happened. And he wished it never did.

When he and his dad arrived back at the house, his mom and Mabel were up waiting for them. 

That was the night when Mabel hugged him, an innocent  _hug_ , and he was hyper aware of how close they were and he couldn't stand it. He pushed her away and ran up the stairs to the bathroom and threw up. His mom asked what was wrong but he couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell anyone. And not telling his mom made him feel more sick. It was word vomit, and he wanted to confess what he'd done, to release this horrible secret. 

He wanted to, so badly. But he sucked it up and pretended he was alright. That everything was  _normal_. 

Dipper didn't know it back then, but that night was the start of a dark period in his short life, and it was still going. He tried to forget, tried to convince himself that those memories were fake. But deep down he knew they were real. It was so hard to avoid someone when you lived in the same house. When that person used to be your best friend. When that person is your twin sibling.

He felt sick everyday, and he would stay up at night twisting and turning, his body on fire and his head telling him how disgusting he was. He finally slept when exhaustion caught up to him. He wondered how his parents didn't notice the bags under his eyes, or when he ate half of his meal, and threw away the rest. Of course Mabel noticed but thankfully she didn't question him. 

His thoughts were the worst. He didn't know which triggered the other, his thought triggering the sickness, or the sickness triggering him to think. It got so bad he would stay in his room for days. He lost the few friends he made at school, and he stopped playing sports. Without anything to do, it felt like his mind was turning against him. 

And then one day he picked up a book and let himself get lost in between the pages. For the first time in a long time, he didn't think. He was far away from his life, from his reality and it made him feel good. It was the perfect distraction. Over time he accumulated a sizable collection of books, and somehow overtime he got consumed in video games.

Because of this, it made being around Mabel bearable. Slowly, he began to feel life go back to normal.

And then Gravity Falls happened. It flipped over what he deemed normal, and now he was inside an animal's head going to save his sister from a demonic pyramid who likes to wear a hat and laugh at pain (his pain specifically). Despite all this, he was glad his parents sent him here. If they hadn't he wouldn't have met all the great people in this odd town.

Grunkle Stan, Wendy, Soos, Old man McGucket, and heck even Robbie. He was pretty sure without them, summer would've been boring, and normal.

And Dana. She popped out of nowhere, and somehow he felt like he's known her his entire life. He even told her his long time secret he couldn't even tell his mom. And it was a relief to know that she understood. That she wouldn't judge him. That she could relate too. A part of him still felt very afraid that one day she would tell Mabel, and then Mabel would remember too. But that was his fear making up all these horrible scenarios.

He can trust Dana. She's different, weird at times and reclusive, but he didn't mind. He's starting to learn that maybe being not normal isn't such a bad thing. 

Dipper tried to fall asleep again, but with Seti's snoring it was impossible. Groggily, he got up and went to splash his face with water. Nefertara was already up, standing at the front of the boat, the sunrise casting a long shadow behind her. Dipper grabbed his pack, and went to stand next to her. Out of the corner of his eye, he inspected the egyptian girl. If he looked closely, he could see the resemblance. It was just weird seeing Wendy with dark hair and tanned skin, something completely different from her flaming red hair and snow white skin. 

Dipper himself was starting to get a tan, or a bad sunburn. He can't tell. He hoped he didn't peel like crazy. Mabel loves peeling her skin and it always freaked him out. 

"Where are we going?" He asked. 

Nefertara took out the map and pointed to the end point of the brain diagram. "Bill would likely be here, between Oculus and Auris. Eye and-"

"Ear." Dipper finished, taking a better look at the map.

"You know Latin?" Nefertara said in surprise.

Dipper shrugged, "Not really. Just the general stuff. Where would this guy be, the one I mentioned." 

"That the man suggested to find? I do not know, but I think Pharaoh Gompers can help."

"We're heading back to Edfu?" Dipper said. He wouldn't mind, it was on the way anyways, but he just wanted to get to Mabel as fast as possible. He didn't know what the demon was capable of, and he didn't want to find out.

Nefertara shook her head, "Not exactly. King Gompers has powers that stretches to every sand within this plane of reality. He can be communicated to, no matter how far away. Close your eyes, and seek him and he will appear in your mind." 

Nefertara had closed her eyes, unaware of the weird look Dipper was giving her. He didn't know if he wanted the goat inside his mind. Being inside Gompers' head was enough for him. He opened his mouth to ask if she was sure of this, but thought twice and decided to follow her command. 

_O.K_

Closing his eyes, Dipper breathed in and out. What should he do? Just think about Gompers? Call him? Skype him? Was this the same thing as calling someone on the phone? Whatever it was, Dipper tried his best to picture the goat in his mind. When he started to imagine Gompers in a bikini, that's when he stopped and figured he was doing something wrong. 

"I don't think I'm doing this right." Dipper said, opening his eyes.

Nefertara didn't respond. Dipper looked at her, and waved a hand in her face.

"Hello?" 

Nothing. Nefertara looked peaceful, as if she was asleep. 

"Uh.. Nefertara?" No response at all. Dipper bit his lip, not knowing what to do. Waiting for her to come back from whatever she was in, Dipper took out the small snake staff and played with it. Morbidly, he slapped the head of the golden snake on his wrist, pretending that the animal bit him. Unexpectedly, the snake opened its mouth and clamped down on his wrist, and Dipper released the staff in shock. Magically, the golden body curled around his arm and squeezed.

"Ah!" Dipper yelped, holding his arm away like it was on fire. He screamed again when something touched his shoulder.

"Dipper! What is wrong?" Nefertara said, and he realized she was the one who touched him, not another snake.

He shook his wrist to answer her question. When Nefertara saw it, the alarm in her face relaxed and she even laughed.

"Do not worry Dipper, that is natural. Pharaoh Gompers forgot to tell you that the staff can be turned into a bracelet, for convenience sake. He told me to tell you right now, but I think it is a bit too late for that. It isn't hurting you is it?"

Dipper calmed down, and realized that no, the snake wasn't hurting him at all. Its fangs didn't even puncture his skin, just sort of clung on. In a way, it looked pretty cool. 

"Wait, you were talking to Gompers?" Dipper asked. 

"Yes, and he knows of the man we seek. Gompers will change the river to take us to him." She answered. 

"DIPPER! I WILL SAVE YOU!" Seti yelled, stumbling to them, his eyes still closed. Half asleep, the large man raised a wrench in the air like a sword, and promptly fell off the side of the boat and into the river. Nefertara threw her head back and laughed, but helped Seti get on board. 

"Whoo! That is cold. Dipper you ok? I heard you scream, but at first I thought it was a little girl, and I was confused, but then I thought it must have been you since Nefertara doesn't scream. And it couldn't be me since I have a much deeper voice-"

"Ok, ok Seti I think I got the picture." Dipper mumbled, his cheeks heating.

"What happened by the way?" The large man asked.

"Dipper found out his staff can turn into a bracelet." Nefertara answered simply, and Seti laughed. 

"Are you alright?" Seti asked after he was done laughing. 

"Yeah.. I didn't really scream. It was more like, a yell, a manly yell." 

"Ok dude, I believe you. Nefertara why didn't you wake me up? I could of been done with breakfast by now." Seti said, heading to the large bowl and started taking out small fishes from a pack. 

"I thought I would have one quiet morning for once." Nefertara smiled, and Seti placed a hand to his chest as if he's been struck. She laughed and turned to Dipper. "What is wrong with your mind?" 

"What?"

"Pharaoh Gompers felt your call, but he could not enter your mind." Nefertara clarified.

"Oh I didn't.. I don't know." He mumbled. 

"Odd. King Gompers has never faced this before. But you come from the outside, so that must be the reason." 

"Yeah, I guess." Dipper agreed, scratching the back of his head in confusion. How come Gompers couldn't enter his mind. Was it because he wasn't a figment of the goats imagination? He remembered why when he was eating breakfast. Dana had placed a protective ward in his mind. He didn't know it would be that strong. It was good to know that the charm was working, and that Bill wasn't inside his mind doing god knows what. 

Aaand that brought him back to worrying about Mabel. He hoped she was fine. Mom and dad would kill him if anything happened to her, after he finishes killing himself.

_Mabel, you better be alright. Just hold on, I'm on my way._

It was the first time Dipper wanted to believe that twins had the ability to communicate telepathically so she can hear this and know she wasn't alone.

 _Oh and_ I'm  _the tallest._

He hope she heard that too.

 

They traveled for a good chunk of the day, the river being a consistent, endless flow, and overtime even the beautiful landscape of sand got dull. Dipper was playing an ancient version of chess with Seti, and to be fair, he didn't understand the rules and Seti didn't explain them that good so it was understandable that he lost the first five rounds. No, it wasn't because he sucked. Seti practiced way more than him. That was it. 

"Your Pharaoh has been sacrificed, again." Seti said, knocking down Dipper's king. 

Dipper sighed and pinched his nose, "Rematch?" 

"You guys! I think you better take a look at this." Nefertara yelled. They both got up and headed towards the front. Nefertara looked freaked out, and she had a hand rested on her ax. 

"What is it?" Dipper asked, looking around but not really seeing the problem. 

"The river... it is gone." Seti whispered in awe. 

Dipper blinked, and realization dawned on him. How could he not have noticed? One minute they were travelling down a rather narrow river, and the next their boat is plopped in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. Everywhere he looked, it was just water and more water. There was so much, and they were so small that it made him dizzy. 

"How did this happen?" Seti said, his face pale. 

"I do not know. I- I cannot reach Gompers." Nefertara said fearfully. Dipper didn't like this. If Nefertara was scared, then this means that something really bad is happening. 

One of the rowers shouted, and all the men looked over the side of the boat. 

"What did he say?" Dipper asked, a bad feeling stirring in his stomach. 

The rower who shouted it leaned so far off the boat his face almost touched the water. Nefertara unsheathed her ax. 

"A woman is in the water." 

A scream that cut off halfway, and were the rower had been was now just empty space. 

"Get away from the edge!" Nefertara yelled. Everyone on the boat crowded in the middle, and Dipper watched horrified as each paddle silently slipped off and disappear into the sea. They're taking away the only thing they could use to escape. The silence was eerie, it was almost too quiet. Dipper scanned the water, looking for anything that moved. They all stood there for a while, no one daring to move. 

The quiet was too much, and Dipper found himself wanting something, anything to happen. He couldn't stand here in fear anymore. As if someone had been listening, screaming pierced the air and they all followed the direction where it was coming from. Not too far away, but enough that they had to swim to get him, was the missing rower. He was screaming and his head bobbed under the water, but he would resurface, gasping for air. He was waving for them to come over.

"We have to help him." Dipper said, taking a step forward but Nefertara pulled him back.

"Dipper, look closely." She said gravelly. 

He frowned and looked at the rower. Nothing looked odd, aside from everything. 

"His arms." She said.

And then Dipper noticed it. Instead of trying to stay afloat, his arm were waving at them calmly,  _both_ of his arms. The rower only had his head peaking out of the water. 

The rower sank, and his arm stopped waving. Silently, they smoothly glided through the water towards the boat and disappeared under. No one dared to make a sound. It was so quiet he could hear his panicking heart beat rapidly in his chest. The boat creaked, scaring Dipper half to death. He looked at the wooded boards under his feet, knowing they were thin and it was the only thing separating him from the sea below. 

_Phhft_

"Ah!" Dipper screamed, instantly latching on to Nefertara's arm.

"Haha, sorry." Seti chuckled nervously, waving away his fart. 

"Ugh really?" Nefertara groaned. 

It was like a very large bullet hit the bottom of the boat, pushing them up, and for a moment Dipper felt weightless. And then gravity caught up and before he knew what was happening he was submerged in water. It stung his eyes and he his legs kicked to swim up. He broke the surface with a gasp, wiping away water from his eyes. 

"Seti?! Nefertara!" He yelled, paddling to the boat which was laying upside down. Before he could reach it, the boat flipped over and Seti crawled on top, helping Nefertara up and over. From out the other side, Seti lifted up one of the rowers. 

"Nefertara!" He called out again, and began swimming towards the boat. 

"Dipper! Hurry, hurry swim!" She yelled, extending her arm towards him. Seti was immediately by her side, and grabbed her arm and pulled it back just as a ghostly pale hand shot out the water. Seti instantly grabbed the appendage and lifted it up. Dipper, through the swimming and blind fear, couldn't clearly see what it was, only the blackness of hair and its arm and scales. 

It was shrieking madly, and Dipper realized he had to get close to it to get on the boat. But he didn't have to when the creatures withering and haunting shrieks stopped. Seti released the things neck and let it drop. With the way clear, Dipper swam harder than he had ever before. He waited for pale hands to pull him under, to drown his screams and drag him into the darkness. 

He was close to the boat know, just a little bit  _more._

He saw his friend's eyes widen in horror. 

"Dipper, Dipper look at me and keep swimming. Look at me and just keep swimming!" Nefertara said, her voice steady but her eyes were filled with mute terror. Dipper did exactly that, and just when he thought he was going to lose himself to fear, something grabbed him and Dipper screamed. 

"Dipper calm down you're safe!" Seti said as calmly as he can, setting the boy down. Dipper opened his eyes and relief like never before washed over him. He was so glad to be out of the water.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?" Nefertara asked.

Dipper nodded, and it took him a few tries to say yes without stuttering. Nefertara breathed a sigh of relief and hugged him. She drew away and they got up. When Dipper managed to calm down, he noticed wet blood on his friends. 

"You're bleeding." He said. 

"Don't worry about us." Nefertara said, and Dipper noticed what looked like bite marks on Seti's back. His fear tripled and when he glanced at the sea he felt breakfast come up and it burned his throat and mouth when he threw up. He was so blinded by his own fear, that he didn't notice he was swimming through gore. Pieces of bodies from the rowers floated in the water, legs, arms, a full torso with its guts strewn out and Dipper had  _swam through that_.

He dropped to his knees, and threw up but nothing else was left, he was only dry heaving now. Nefertara helped him up and he hugged her, squeezing his eyes shut. This wasn't happening. This isn't real. They aren't real, none of this is real. He was in a goat's mind, everything was fake, he  _isn't actually here_. 

"Dipper, Dipper come on. You have to be strong. Can you do that for me? Can you be strong?" Nefertara said, taking a hold of his shoulders and shaking him a bit. 

Dipper suddenly realized he was only 12, and so scared for his life and for his friends. 

_Could he die here?_

The thought never occurred to him. 

"Dipper, please you have to be strong right now. I need you to be strong." Nefertara said, and she sounded so much like Wendy. He wished she was, he wished he was back at the Shack and he wished he never entered Gompers' mind. Why did he agree to this in the first place? This was all Dana's fault! If she only just let him in instead of practicing on the stupid goat then none of this would of happened. He wouldn't be in this position, and Mabel would be fine and why, why did he agree to this?! 

If Dana only... What was he doing? How could Dana predict this would happen. If she had known she would of never let them inside Gompers' mind. But- but then Gompers would still be mind controlled by Bill and who knew how long Bill will use the goat to spy on them before they finally find out. No, Dipper had to shut up and get a grip. This was happening, and Mabel was captured, and he is going to save her and kick Bill out of Gompers' head. 

Clenching his jaw, he wiped away the tears and stepped away from Nefertara. 

"Are you ok now?" She asked and Dipper nodded confidently this time. She gave him a tight smile and turned to Seti. "We need to find a way to get out of here." 

"We don't have any paddles, and we're only four." Seti said, motioning to the rower he saved. They all looked at him, and Dipper felt all the color drain from his face. Watching them quietly while chewing on the side of the rower's neck, the girl stopped and smiled at them. Dipper couldn't take his eyes off her as she drifted across the boat, dragging her bloody nails on the wood before disappearing. 

"It's a girl." Dipper said out loud, and he didn't know why. Maybe he needed to hear it so he could believe what he just saw. It was just a girl, with a human face and everything, eating the rower. Somewhere in the back of his head the word Wendigo came to him, but these creatures were far from the beast. He then thought about how he wanted to seek out a Wendigo, and he now realized why Dana didn't want to meet him again.

Splashing sounded from all sides of the boat, and Dipper knew they were surrounded. By how many was unknown to him, and he didn't want to know. He didn't think it could get worse, but it did. They started giggling, laughing. The trio formed a circle with each their backs pressed against the other. Dipper gasped and froze when multiple heads peaked over the boat. They never stopped in one place, constantly moving around the boat. And then they started talking, whispering in delight, their voices raspy, deathly.

_"It's the brother..."_

_"Oooh the brother.."_

_"The brother.."_

_"Ha ha the brother ha.."_

Were they.. were they talking about him?

_"What a pleasant surprise.."_

_"Is it him?.. Is it really him?.. He looks different.."_

_"Still the same..."_

_"Bill never lets us near him.."_

_"No, no we never get to have any fun..."_

Nefertara and Seti shifted to stand a bit in front of him, their stances protective.

_"Sister isn't around.."_

_"Where is she?..."_

_"Dead?.. Alive.."_

_"She'll be mad.."_

_"She's mad.. Bill is mad.."_

_"Bill's always mad.."_

_"Always mad.."_

_"Madly in love..."_

_"She steals.."_

_"Stole his Eye.."_

Dipper couldn't take it anymore. "What do you want!" He shouted. Their voices stopped and began again even more happily sadistic. 

_"What do we want?.."_

_"Kill him.. rip him apart.."_

_"Kill Adelphus haha.."_

_"Adelphus.. Adelphus.."_

They chanted that name, and the boat started rocking dangerously. 

_"Adelphus.. ADELPHUS ADELPHUS!"_

Nefertara pulled Dipper down and they laid flat on their stomach holding on for dear life. Seti put his arms over the both of them, using his weight to pin them to the floor. Dipper jerked in fright when pale hands burst through the floor of the boat, water rushing in. Oh god, oh god they were sinking the boat and then there will be no boat and just water. 

Nefertara swung her ax around like crazy, chopping off their arms but the damage was done. There was too much water coming in too fast. 

"Oh  _shit_." Dipper cursed, and instantly slapped his mouth. My god if his mom was here right now and why is he thinking this he is about to die!

One of the holes was big enough that one of the creatures poked their head in and hissed at them, her hand breaking through to reach for Dipper. She barely grazed him when her head snapped back and her hand fell limp. Dipper blinked dumbly. Protruding from her head, was an arrow. 

The boat was sinking fast, but the creatures didn't attack them. Dipper looked up, and saw a  _huge_ ship. On the boat, iron fitted soldiers drew back their arrows and let them fly, slicing through the air and striking the cannibalistic girls. Seeing now, Dipper noticed that they had scaled tails for legs, and that didn't surprise him. Mabel always dreamed of being a mermaid, still does, so Dipper hoped if that  _ever_ somehow happened, she didn't turn out like those things. Mermando was a guy; who knows how the girls were. 

The boat was gone already, and so were the sea creatures. A rope was flung over the side of the ship, and the trio swam over to it. Dipper's never been so happy to be out of the water. As soon as they got on board, they had more than a dozen arrows pointed at them. 

"By the gods, you all look like you've been to Pluto's domain and back." A man in shiny steel armor with a red cape hanging from his back stepped up, raised his hand and the archers lowered their bows. "And you certainly don't look like you're from around here." 

Dipper laughed. 

"You're a Greek warrior." 

The man raised a brow, "Roman." 

"Oh." Dipper breathed, and fainted.

 

 

He was in a wheat field that stretched acres long. Barefoot, he liked the feel of soft soil. There was a girl somewhere. By the sea. She has golden hair, so soft and it glows like the heavens under the sun. Blue eyes so clear, she's happy to see him. He's so happy to see her.

So happy he's in tears. He thought he lost her. 

They fall to their knees and hug each other so tightly it hurts. She's scared and he knows what's coming. 

He promises they'll see each other again. She knows. 

Maybe not tomorrow, or the next hundred years but they will meet again. 

She knows all this and tells him not to forget her. He won't. 

Her tears stop, and she rests her head against his chest, closing her eyes. 

Then horrible, horrible pain and burning and flames and screams- 

Dipper wakes up reaching out for a girl he doesn't know. He can still feel the pain, fresh as if it happened but a second ago. He takes a moment to catch his breath and reality comes back to him. 

The boat, the sea creatures, Adelphus, the _bodies..._

Dipper willed the urged to vomit away, and rubbed his sweaty face. The last thing he remembered was getting on that ship, and meeting a Greek soldier who gave him a history lesson that he was actually Roman, and then nothing. He must have passed out. The question was, where is he?

The lack of sunshine or windows made it easy for him to figure it out. He was inside the ship, below the deck. But if he recalled correctly, Roman ships didn't have a below deck. They weren't technologically advance yet.

Ugh.. thinking about school was making his head hurt. This was supposed to be summer vacation, and any thoughts of school had to be blocked immediately.

"Seti?.. Nefertara?" Dipper looked around to see that it was empty. He was the only one down here. Everyone must be on the deck. Slowly, Dipper got off the hammock and grabbed his pack that was left on the floor. He checked the contents, to see if anything was missing, but everything was still there, well anything important like the eagle compass and water. Dipper's heart stopped when he couldn't find the staff, but he relaxed and remembered it was curled around his wrist. Feeling stupid, he swung the pack over his head and headed for the stairs.

There were two wooden doors, and he pushed one open. Light blinded him briefly, making him squint but his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He stepped out onto the deck where a bunch of Roman soldiers milled about. He flinched when he saw one crack a whip onto a slaves back. There were a lot of slaves, well he assumed they were slaves since he knew that Romans used them to row the boats so the soldiers wouldn't be all tired for war. And they looked like slaves too.

There was a strange giddiness standing in a ship surrounded by ancient soldiers he only read in books, and he wanted to take everything in, but first he had to find his friends.

"Dipper!"

Or they would find him first.

Seti came pounding over to him and pulled him into a big hug, lifting the small boy up in the air. 

"I think you broke my spine." Dipper squeaked, and the large man let him go. Dipper sucked in air and stretched his back.

"Dipper, it is good see you awake." Nefertara said, standing beside Seti. They both looked happy to see him, and he could only look at the bandages around their bodies. 

"Are you guys ok?" He asked.

"We're fine Dipper." Nefertara answered. The man from before came up to them and she said, "Dipper, this is General Calleous."

Dipper had to look up at Calleous for how tall he was standing before the boy.

Calleous smiled at him, "Of the  _Roman_ Navy fleet." 

"Uh, yeah of course.. Roman.." Dipper laughed nervously, "Sorry about that. My history is a bit off..." 

"Don't trouble yourself. Your friend here explained a lot when you were asleep." Calleous said, walking to the front of the ship, prompting Dipper to walk beside him. "I understand you're from the outside?"

"Yeah, I mean yes I mean-" Dipper paused and breathed, "Yes, I am." 

"Mh." Calleous hummed, "You and your friends got to meet some unpleasant fellows."

"The sea creatures?"

"We call them Sirens, but sea creatures can be used as well." The General stopped and folded his hands behind his back, "Usually they stay on their island. It's uncommon that they leave and seek out their prey. It makes you and your friends pretty unlucky."

Dipper scratched the back of his head, "I guess so." 

"But that is the past and now is the present. It's good timing you woke up right now."

"Why?"

The General smiled, "If you slept a minute more, you would've missed the view." He looked out at the sea, and Dipper followed his gaze. 

His eyes widened, and Dipper felt his mouth drop. The sea glistening, the land in the distance with dots of ships littered around the port, huge buildings and structures, all topped with a huge mountain that dominated the view; the sight was breathtaking. 

"Welcome to Pompeii."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeh, let's not forget Dipper is 12 and he's way in over his head. Ok I apologize for the lack of updates, it's just I got writers block and college and finals.. I might not be updating regularly, but I haven't abandoned this story. It just might take a while to write more cuz seriously I write this in one go and I make stuff up on the way in 3 in the morning. Don't ask, it's just how my writer thing works. 
> 
> Again, thank you for reading!


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